Five Courtesans of Various Houses, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 3
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
32302
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo) with Katsukawa Shunsho's *Five Courtesans of Houses*, a captivating double-page color woodblock print from volume 3 of the illustrated book *Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (iro bijin awaseata kagami)*, created in 1776. Shunsho, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), masterfully depicts five elegant courtesans from different houses in the Yoshiwara pleasure district, Japan's famed red-light area. These women, adorned in lavish kimonos and intricate hairstyles, embody the era's ideals ...