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A Courtesan and Attendant on a Moonlit Veranda

Print
1765-1770 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Harunobu was famed for his depictions of willowy young beauties. Here we see a courtesan and her attendant crossing paths as the latter returns from practising the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute). The courtesan’s under-robe peeps out at her neck,wrists and shins. These glimpses of red- a colour with erotic overtones-would have induced a frisson of excitement.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • A Courtesan and Attendant on a Moonlit Veranda (assigned by artist)
  • Genre Poets of the Four Seasons (series title)
Materials and techniques
Woodblock print
Brief description
A Courtesan and Attendant on a Moonlit Veranda from the series Genre Poets of the Four Seasons, woodblock print, Suzuki Harunobu, Japan, 1765-1770.
Physical description
Woodblock print in grey and red of two figures on a balcony.
Dimensions
  • Height: 26cm
  • Width: 19cm
Style
Object history
Purchased from E. Parsons & Sons, accessioned in 1897. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Harunobu was famed for his depictions of willowy young beauties. Here we see a courtesan and her attendant crossing paths as the latter returns from practising the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute). The courtesan’s under-robe peeps out at her neck,wrists and shins. These glimpses of red- a colour with erotic overtones-would have induced a frisson of excitement.
Bibliographic reference
Greenhalgh, Paul (Ed.), Art Nouveau: 1890-1914 . London: V&A Publications, 2000
Collection
Accession number
E.4368-1897

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Record createdDecember 16, 2003
Record URL
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