団扇立美人図 (Uchiwa tachi bijin zu)|Courtesan with Fan and Koto

Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之

late 18th century · Hanging scroll; color on silk · Asian Art

An elegant courtesan, her coiffure festooned with a complex array of hairpins, glances sideways while holding a round fan (uchiwa). Her pale purple kimono, overlaying a red undergarment, is decorated in the lower section with autumn flowers, bush clover (hagi), and bellflowers (kikyō). Her obi is knotted in the front, as is the wont of courtesans. Behind her is a fine-quality koto (a type of zither) and bound libretto, signals of her cultural accomplishments. Although Eishi’s early training was in the academic style of the Kano atelier masters, he switched his allegiance to the Ukiyo-e school, specializing in paintings and prints of refined, high-ranking courtesans.

Artist

Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020