Courtesans of the Kadotamaya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 1
Medium
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration cut from a book
Dimensions
22.6 × 30.2 cm (8 7/8 × 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32151
Art Historical Context
Step into the enchanting world of Edo-period Japan with *Courtesans of the Kadotamaya*, a stunning double-page color woodblock print by master artist Katsukawa Shunsho, created in 1776. This illustration, extracted from volume 1 of the illustrated book *Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)*, celebrates the glamorous courtesans of the Kadotamaya house in Tokyo's famed Yoshiwara pleasure district. Shunsho, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, captured the transient pleasures of urban life, theater, and beaut...