Four 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
32299
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan *Four Courtesans of Various Houses a captivating double-page color woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunshō from 1776. Featured in volume 3 of *Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin aw sugata kagami)*, this illustration hails from the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—that celebrated the fleeting pleasures of urban life in Yoshiwara, Tokyo's famed red-light district. Shunshō, a leading figure in this genre, masterfully depicted bijin-ga, or images of beautiful women, showcasing courtesans as elegant icons of...