Artwork Page for Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing

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Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing

mid- or late 1790s

Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川 豊国

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
One of a triptych of woodblock prints
Measurements
Sheet: 36.6 x 23.7 cm (14 7/16 x 9 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.360.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

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.
A woodblock print depicts two women with light skin tones and white faces under a wooden overhang in a vertical composition. Centered, the women wear ornate robes; one is pink and patterned, while the other features a black robe and striped lower garment. To the right, a wooden post stands near flowering branches and a perched bird. Columns of Japanese calligraphy flank the left edge.

Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing

mid- or late 1790s

Utagawa Toyokuni

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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