The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Courtesan and Attendants

c. 1748–51

attributed to Engetsudō

(Japanese)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Overall: 189.8 x 64.8 cm (74 3/4 x 25 1/2 in.); Painting only: 90.2 x 43.8 cm (35 1/2 x 17 1/4 in.)
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.255
Location: Not on view

Description

The courtesan wears a pair of tall, lacquered wooden clogs and heavy robes, indicating it is winter. The elaborate span of her tortoiseshell comb in her fashionable coiffure enhances her glamorous appearance. Her blue-and-white striped obi is tied in a loose bow in front, typical for her profession. The round, stylized cherry blossom crest of her "house" (brothel), partially visible on her shoulder just above the shawl, also appears on the robes of her two attendants (kamuro). The attendants hold shuttlecocks, used in a game associated with New Year celebrations. One girl stares out at the viewer; the other looks back. The frontal view of the attendant’s face is somewhat rare in ukiyo-e painting and prints.
  • Nathan Chaikin
    (Nathan Chaikin)
  • “Checklist of the Kelvin Smith Bequest.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 75, no. 7 (September 1988): 292–295. Mentioned: p. 294 www.jstor.org
    Jenkins, Donald. “Paintings of the Floating World.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 75, no. 7 (September 1988): 244–260, 262–278, 238. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 1, p. 247 www.jstor.org
  • Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2004-April 10, 2005).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; December 12, 2004- April 10, 2005. "Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections".
    Later Japanese Rotation (Gallery 113); March 18 - July 13, 2004.
    A Private World: Japanese and Chinese Art from the Kelvin Smith Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 14-November 13, 1988).
  • {{cite web|title=Courtesan and Attendants|url=false|author=Engetsudō|year=c. 1748–51|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.255