Courtesans and Their Attendants Parading under Lanterns
c. 1780/1801
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Dimensions
39.2 × 78.1 cm (15 7/16 × 30 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21651
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Katsukawa Shunchô'sCourtesans and Their Attendants Parading Lanterns* (c. 1780/1801) captures the nightlife of the Yoshiwara pleasure. This color woodblock print triptych depicts elegant courtesans—high-ranking oiran—strutting confidently with their attendants, illuminated by glowing lanterns in a nocturnal parade. Shunchô, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") from the Katsukawa school, specialized in bijin-ga, or images of beautiful women, blending sensuality with everyday urban splendor. Printed as an oban triptych—...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunchô · 1780–1801
Katsukawa Shunchō was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints active from approximately 1780 to 1795, one of the most graceful practitioners of the art of bijinga — pictures of beautiful women. He trained in the studio of Katsukawa Shunshō, the founding master of the Katsukawa School, whose pupils also included the young Hokusai. Shunshō's school was primarily known for realistic portraits...