Courtesan in procession / Kitagawa Utamaro
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1962/1.104
- Title
- Courtesan in procession
- Artist
- Kitagawa Utamaro
- Artist Nationality
- Japanese
- Artist Life Dates
- 1754-1806
- Medium and Support
- ink, white pigment, and red color on paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1793-1795
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Japan (nation)
- Kanto (region)
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Japan (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Kanto (region)
- Creation Place 4
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Style/Group/Movement
- ukiyo-e
- Inscription
- Signed by the artist at the lower left: Utamaro hitsu, artist's seal partially superimposed over the last character;
- Signed by the calligrapher at the upper left: Tokyo Santo Kyoden;
- Utamaro's seal at the lower left: Utamaro; Kyoden's seals: Kikuken, Ha Sanjin;
- Kyoden's kyoshi (comic poem) inscribed above the figures: Nebiki no kogane wa Amadani no kikusui o hakari Tsukidashi no sakazuki Sumida no morohaku o kumeri For the gold of redemption, the sweet valley's Chrysanthemum Water is measured out. From the proffered sake cup, the best wine of Sumida is drunk. Kyoden then caps the poem with a satire haiku: Saigyo mo Even Saigyo hasn't yet seen Mada minu hana no Such a flower of the brothel. Kuruwa kana
- Dimensions
- 85.7 cm x 26.8 cm (33 3/4 in. x 10 9/16 in.)
- Century
- 18th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- hanging scroll
- Secondary Object Classification
- Painting
- Secondary Object Type
- portrait
- Physical Description
- This is a portrait of courtesan and her attendant. The courtesan wears a kimono with overall cherry blossom patterns and a darker color cloak with fan, plover and wave design lining with overall cherry blossom design silk; the cloak is slipping from her right shoulder. Her obi is draped in front; it has overall hollyhock pattern. Her face is white; Her hair is sculpted like a balloon on the top and has broad wings to the side. Tortoise-shell comb and multiple hairpins adorn the hair. She is strolling toward the right. Her attendant is walking behind her, her face and body partially hidden by the courtesan. She wears the matching kimono with plover and wave design; her kimono has long sleeves (furisode), whose openings are tied with ribbons. Her obi, with peony and geometric design, is tied at the back. Her hair is in the similar shape as the courtesan but not too exaggerated. But she wears an enormous hair accessory consisting of cherry blossoms and tassels, made of silver. Her face is also in white. The painting is accompanied by poem written by Santô Kyôden with his signature and two seals. On the lower left, there are the artist's signature and seal. The mounting is made of silk brocade with embroidery in the design of clematis and millets.
- Subject Matter
- Utamaro evokes for us the haunting beauty of a young courtesan— probably Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya—on the day of her formal debut, as she promenades under the cherry blossoms on Yoshiwara’s main avenue, with a child attendant in tow. The promenade was an annual ritual where Yoshiwara’s denizens stepped out in their finest robes to display their beauty and fine taste. Utamaro has chosen a subtle palette of white, black, and shades of gray, which captures our attention all the more for being unexpected. The only color comes from the red lips of the two and the dazzling brocade that frames the painting, a fragment of a courtesan’s kimono that is original to the work. It is tempting to think that it belonged to Hanaôgi, and thus completes her portrait.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- concepts in the arts
- costume
- costume by form
- descriptors
- genres in the arts
- image-making processes and techniques
- literary, oral and motion picture genres
- main garments
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by age group
- people by occupation
- people in service occupations
- processes and techniques
- processes and techniques by specific type
- prostitutes
- writing (processes)
- youth
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 357 x 1133
- File Size
- 45 KB
- Record
- 1962/1.104
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1962-sl-1.104/1962_1.104.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1962-SL-1.104:1962_1.104.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Courtesan in procession; Kitagawa Utamaro." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1962-sl-1.104/1962_1.104.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
