Parading Courtesan with Attendants
Woodblock Print
late 1760s
late 1760s
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an example of an early full-colour Japanese print. Polychrome multiple-block prints became known as nishiki-e, or 'brocade prints', because their lavish colours were likened to the rich palette of silk brocades. Harunobu (ca. 1724-1770) was the first great master of nishiki-e. His harmonious colours and lyrical romanticism made a major contribution to the development of ukiyo-e (prints of the Floating World).
Some scholars have suggested that this print depicts Nokaze, a high-ranking courtesan of the Matsuzaka-ya in the Shinagawa brothel district. However, the clothes and accoutrements shown are those of a courtesan from the Yoshiwara, and the 'mon' is not that believed to have been used by Nokaze.
Some scholars have suggested that this print depicts Nokaze, a high-ranking courtesan of the Matsuzaka-ya in the Shinagawa brothel district. However, the clothes and accoutrements shown are those of a courtesan from the Yoshiwara, and the 'mon' is not that believed to have been used by Nokaze.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Parading Courtesan with Attendants (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour print from woodblocks |
| Brief description | Woodblock print, Parading Courtesan with Attendants by Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770), Edo (Tokyo), Japan, late 1760s. |
| Physical description | Chuban format, nishiki-e print. Signature: Suzuki Harunobu ga |
| Object history | Purchased from Wright and Stanford, accessioned in 1898. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | This is an example of an early full-colour Japanese print. Polychrome multiple-block prints became known as nishiki-e, or 'brocade prints', because their lavish colours were likened to the rich palette of silk brocades. Harunobu (ca. 1724-1770) was the first great master of nishiki-e. His harmonious colours and lyrical romanticism made a major contribution to the development of ukiyo-e (prints of the Floating World). Some scholars have suggested that this print depicts Nokaze, a high-ranking courtesan of the Matsuzaka-ya in the Shinagawa brothel district. However, the clothes and accoutrements shown are those of a courtesan from the Yoshiwara, and the 'mon' is not that believed to have been used by Nokaze. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1416-1898 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 13, 2002 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
