Untitled

Isoda Koryūsai

late 18th century · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The figures in this print are separated by a difference in scale as well as by physical barriers. The large figure in the foreground is a courtesan passing through the curtained door of a public bathhouse. Our attention, however, is drawn to the smaller-scale woman in the background who is framed within a latticed window. She is in a state of undress, but she is so eager to see who is in the entrance corridor that she has only half-covered herself with a cloth. She steadies herself with a hand on the window as she peers out. Traditionally, a bathing woman is an object of voyeurism. Koryūsai adds a twist to the theme by turning her into an observer as well.

Artist

Isoda Koryūsai

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929