懐月堂安度筆　立姿遊女図|Standing Courtesan

Kaigetsudō Ando

early 18th century · Hanging scroll, mounted as panel; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

A courtesan, statuesque and regal in pose, has paused her procession to glance back, perhaps to acknowledge an admirer. Kaigetsudō Ando was the founder of a studio of artists that produced woodblock prints and paintings of the high-ranking women of the demimonde. Here a poem card (shikishi) is inscribed with a poem attributed to Sarumaru Dayu (active late 8th century) that was made famous through its inclusion in One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu): Oku yama ni momiji fumi-wake naku shika no koe kiku toki zo aki wa kanashiki Deep in the mountains, traipsing through leaves, a deer cries for its mate— when I hear that sound, it’s autumn at its saddest. —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Artist

Kaigetsudō Ando

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, mounted as panel; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015