Description:
ōban tate-e nishiki-e bijinga mitate-e
Label Text:
The front-tied obi, decorated with the back of a cat watching a butterfly, indicates that this beauty is a yūjō, an officially licensed courtesan of the Yoshiwara. Along with her sumptuous attire, her numerous hairpins signify success and popularity—and thus the high prices she commands. The text identifies Suganosuke by her received name—like actors and artists, courtesans were given names symbolic of their professional lineage—as well as her place of employment, an ageya, or pleasure house, called the Okamotoya. The Nihonbashi, a landmark bridge near the pleasure district, is visible at the upper left. Courtesans were not free to roam outside the Yoshiwara except for one day each year. Perhaps somewhat ironically, despite her confined status and her work as a courtesan, both the butterflies and dragonflies that decorate her clothes are traditionally auspicious symbols of joy.
- BB, ed., 2015
Tags:
figures; women; female; standing; pose; kimonos; headdresses; landscapes; flowers Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1994.96 |
