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Courtesan Walking

A work made of hand-colored woodblock print; tan-e, vertical o-oban.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of hand-colored woodblock print; tan-e, vertical o-oban.

Date:

c. 1714

Artist:

Kaigetsudo Anchi
Japanese, active c. 1704–16

About this artwork

Woodblock prints are regarded as the most characteristic expression of the Japanese artistic genius. Great quantities of this popular art form, called ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”), were made during the Edo period (1603-1868) and sold inexpensively to a pleasure-seeking public captivated by Kabuki theater, sumo wrestling, and the brothel districts. Prints such as Kaigetsudo’s hand-painted Courtesan display a freedom and originality that were not possible in the rendering of tradition-bound religious images. The beautiful woman clutches her billowing kimono, which has been decorated with the words of a poem whose author is depicted in the lining.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Artist

Kaigetsudo Anchi

Title

Courtesan Walking

Place

Japan (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1709–1719

Medium

Hand-colored woodblock print; tan-e, vertical o-oban

Inscriptions

Kaigetsudô matsuyo

Dimensions

55.2 × 28.8 cm (21 3/4 × 11 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1925.1741

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/127635/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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