Object Details
Artist
Katsukawa Shunsho
Dimensions
26 7/8 × 8 7/16 inches (68.3 × 21.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Robert J. Smith, PhD 1953, and Kazuko Smith
Object
Number
2005.044.034
Ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) celebrate the world of brothels and theatres in the pleasur(…)
Ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) celebrate the world of brothels and theatres in the pleasure districts of Japan’s urban centers from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Images of courtesans were enjoyed for the glimpse they provided of these ideals of feminine beauty and contem-porary fashion. Here the young woman, wearing a summer kimono and holding a summer fan, stands at the water’s edge under a willow tree and puts a comb in her hair. The artist Shunsho, renowned for his kabuki actor prints, also produced a considerable number of paintings. He gained further renown as the teacher of Hokusai, one of the greatest masters of ukiyo-e print design.
