The Courtesan Takigawa of the Ogiya with Her Attendants Onami and Menami, from the series "Models for Fashion: New Designs as Fresh as Young Leaves (Hinagata wakana no hatsu moyo)"
1783
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.3 × 25.9 cm (15 1/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19350
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *The Courtesan Takawa of the Ogiya Her Attendants Onami Menami* (1783) is a vibrant color woodblock print from his *Models for Fashion: Designs as Fresh as Young*, celebrating the latest kimono styles in Edo-period Japan. As a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—iyonaga captured the glamorous world of Yoshiwara courtesans, who were cultural icons akin to modern celebrities. Here, the elegant Takigawa, flanked by attendants Onami and Menami, poses in luxurious robes, showcasing intricate patterns that doubled as fashion advertisements for everyday women aspir...
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...