Artist: Utagawa Toyoharu
Date: 1785
Size: 65 x 34 cm
Technique: Silk
A high ranking courtesan in a striking black outer robe with a peacock motif over a multicolored undergarment stands before a koto (thirteen stringed zither). Her obi sash is tied in front of her robes rather than behind, the usual practice for courtesans.Utagawa Toyoharu, founder of the Utagawa school of Ukiyo e, produced both finely executed paintings—as seen here—and designs for prints. Shokusanjin, one of the foremost literary arbiters of his era, inscribed the poem to the left of the figure some years after the painting was made. The witty verse is full of clever wordplay and references to centuries old classical literature and the Shinto “patron deity” of the pleasure quarters.
Artist |
|
|---|---|
Download |
|
Permissions |
Free for non commercial use. See below. |
 |
This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. However - you may not use this image for commercial purposes and you may not alter the image or remove the watermark. This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
|
Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years. This image may
not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the
