Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing (mid- or late 1790s): Art, History and Details

Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing (mid- or late 1790s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769–1825).

The work and its context

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

In these prints, two courtesans of the Ōgiya brothel are entering an open pavilion, while another group gathers around a Japanese hibachi inside. Hanaōgi, the most celebrated courtesan of Ōgiya in the late 1700s, is depicted at a desk. Holding a brush in her hand, she turns her head to one side as if gathering her thoughts before writing in the book before her. Both her position and her loosened hair separate Hanaōgi from her courtesan companions who wear elaborate coiffures. This depiction of her captures both her knowledge of poetry and her skill as a calligrapher.

Object facts

• Title: Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing
• Date: mid- or late 1790s
• Creator attribution: Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769–1825)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Print
• Technique: Triptych of woodblock prints, ink and color on paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 36.6 x 23.7 cm (14 7/16 x 9 5/16 in.); Overall: 36.9 x 23.8 cm (14 1/2 x 9 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1921.360

Collection credit

Gift from J. H. Wade

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.