Jun 21, 2022
Aug 14, 2014

Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing

Courtesans of the Ōgiya on a Spring Outing

mid- or late 1790s

Part of a set. See all set records

Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川 豊国

(Japanese, 1769–1825)

Triptych of woodblock prints, ink and color on paper

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.)

Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.360

Location

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.

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