Courtesan and Attendants (c. 1748–51): Art, History and Details

Courtesan and Attendants (c. 1748–51) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Engetsudō (Japanese).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The courtesan wears a pair of tall, lacquered wooden clogs and heavy robes, indicating it is winter. The elaborate span of her tortoiseshell comb in her fashionable coiffure enhances her glamorous appearance. Her blue-and-white striped obi is tied in a loose bow in front, typical for her profession. The round, stylized cherry blossom crest of her "house" (brothel), partially visible on her shoulder just above the shawl, also appears on the robes of her two attendants (kamuro). The attendants hold shuttlecocks, used in a game associated with New Year celebrations. One girl stares out at the viewer; the other looks back. The frontal view of the attendant’s face is somewhat rare in ukiyo-e painting and prints.

Object facts

• Title: Courtesan and Attendants
• Date: c. 1748–51
• Creator attribution: Engetsudō (Japanese)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 189.8 x 64.8 cm (74 3/4 x 25 1/2 in.); Painting only: 90.2 x 43.8 cm (35 1/2 x 17 1/4 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1985.255

Collection credit

The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith

Further reading listed by the museum

• “Checklist of the Kelvin Smith Bequest.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 75, no. 7 (September 1988): 292–295.
• Jenkins, Donald. “Paintings of the Floating World.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 75, no. 7 (September 1988): 244–260, 262–278, 238.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.