Artwork Page for Hatsuito of the Yamashiroya Likened to Bush Clover, from Beauties of the Floating World Compared to Flowers

Details / Information for Hatsuito of the Yamashiroya Likened to Bush Clover, from Beauties of the Floating World Compared to Flowers

Hatsuito of the Yamashiroya Likened to Bush Clover, from Beauties of the Floating World Compared to Flowers

浮世美人寄花内　山城屋初糸　萩

1769–70

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print
Measurements
Sheet: 28.7 x 21.8 cm (11 5/16 x 8 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1157
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Courtesan Hatsuito of a brothel named Yamashiroya is likened to autumnal bush clover in this series comparing the qualities of courtesans to flowers. Hatsuito ties her servant’s obi sash while a gibbon emerges from a painting in the room’s viewing alcove to offer a love letter on which Hatsuito’s name appears. Gibbons reaching in vain for the moon’s reflection in water is a common metaphor for the deluded mind, and bush clover in moonlight is a popular seasonal motif. Here, the ideas are combined as the gibbon woos this unattainable beauty.
A vertical woodblock print depicts two women with light skin, red lips, and black hair in a matted interior. In the center, one woman stands holding a large green and white patterned bundle while another kneels wearing a floral reddish-brown kimono. Behind them, a low black table holds two books near a hanging scroll featuring a monkey. Japanese calligraphy fills a cloud-shaped border across the upper third.

Hatsuito of the Yamashiroya Likened to Bush Clover, from Beauties of the Floating World Compared to Flowers

1769–70

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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