The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A color woodblock print depicts a woman in a white robe looking down at a sleeping youth. To the left, a plum tree with black branches and white blossoms sits beside calligraphic text on a tan wall. A sliding door with a grey geometric pattern reveals vibrant red and green fabrics. The woman stands barefoot with a dark sash, while fine black lines and flat colors define the interior architecture and figures.

Courtesan and Sleeping Attendant

late 1760s

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
color woodblock print, with embossing
Overall: 28.1 x 20.1 cm (11 1/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.309
Location: Not on view

Description

In this print, a courtesan emerges from her bed to find her attendant asleep. As was customary, the courtesan has her obi sash tied at the front, while her servant has hers tied at the back. The strong contrast between the colorful bedclothes and the white of the courtesan’s robe is heightened by the embossing of the fabric folds, lending a three-dimensional effect to her form. The technique involves pressing a carved but unpigmented woodblock against the print surface.
  • ?–1942
    Henri Vever [1854–1942], France
    March 24, 1977
    (Sotheby Parke Bernet, London, UK, March 24, 1977, part III, lot 48)
    1977–?
    (R. E. Lewis, Inc., California, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin Smith)
    ?–1985
    The Kelvin Smith Collection, Cleveland, OH, given by Mrs. Kelvin [Eleanor Armstrong] Smith [1899-1998] given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1985–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's London. Highly Important Japanese Prints, Illustrated Books and Drawings and Paintings, from the Henri Vever Collection: Part III. March 24, 1977. Reproduced: 34-35, lot no. 48
    “Checklist of the Kelvin Smith Bequest.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 75, no. 7 (September 1988): 292–295. Mentioned: p. 292 www.jstor.org
  • Japan’s Floating World 日本の浮世. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 8-October 9, 2022).
    Japanese Gallery 113 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 19–April 25, 2002).
    Japanese Gallery 113 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 10–June 23, 1998).
    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 Sleeping Attendant|url=false|author=Suzuki Harunobu|year=late 1760s|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.309