Woodblock Print
1777-82 (made)
Famous courtesans were fashion icons, admired for their style and taste. Prints of known courtesans wearing the latest kimono served as wonderful publicity for brothel owners and clothing merchants alike. Mandayū of the Nakaomiya brothel is wearing a red kimono tied at the front with a boldly striped obi. Her black outer-kimono is decorated with cranes. She watches her apprentices play a board game while smoking a pipe.
Object details
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| Brief description | Woodblock print by Isoda Koryusai (1735-90) depicting the courtesan Mandayu of the Nakaomiya House, from the series New Designs as Fresh as Young Leaves, Japanese, 1777-1782. Wearing the latest fashionable kimono design, Mandayu is shown smoking a pipe while her apprentices play a board game |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased from Arthur Morrison, accessioned in 1903. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | Famous courtesans were fashion icons, admired for their style and taste. Prints of known courtesans wearing the latest kimono served as wonderful publicity for brothel owners and clothing merchants alike. Mandayū of the Nakaomiya brothel is wearing a red kimono tied at the front with a boldly striped obi. Her black outer-kimono is decorated with cranes. She watches her apprentices play a board game while smoking a pipe. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jackson, Anna (editor), Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, London: V&A Publications, 2020
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.579-1903 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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