Courtesans and Their Child Attendants under Blossoming Cherry Trees
1785
Medium
Color woodblock prints; oban triptych
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
190440
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Courtesans and Their Child Attendants under Blossoming Cherry Trees* (1785) is a stunning example of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" captured the vibrant urban life of Edo-period (1603–1868) Tokyo. As a leading figure in the Torii school, Kiyonaga specialized in bijin-ga—elegant depictions of beautiful women—often set in the Yoshiwara pleasure district. This oban triptych, composed of three large woodblock prints joined seamlessly, immerses viewers in a fleeting moment of hanami (cherry blossom viewing), where courtesans and their young attendants revel beneath ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...