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Courtesan Seated on a Bench Enjoying the Evening Cool in Summer

Kamigaki Hōryū (Japanese, dates unknown)

1615–1868

Medium: hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: Overall: 78 x 31.6 cm (30 11/16 x 12 7/16 in.)
Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art, Japanese Art
Credit line: Gift of Mikiko and Sebastian Izzard
Rights: Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed

About this work

In a pensive pose with her chin resting in her hand, a courtesan is seated on a wooden bench that extends diagonally across the lower half of the scroll. Her open robe suggests that it is a warm evening-perhaps late summer or early fall, as indicated by the grapevine pattern on her kimono. The floral patterns in the composition hint at the seasons: the plum blossom on the fan for spring; grape pattern on the robe for late summer; and chrysanthemum design on the bench indicating autumn. Note also how the grapevine pattern in the painting's mounting mimics the design of her kimono. The overall mood is one of intimacy, created by Hõryþ through the delicate rendering of the courtesan's facial features and hands. In contrast to the other scrolls of beauties nearby, the artist here portrayed his subject with little background, allowing her grace and elegance to carry the picture.