Kisegawa of the Matsubaya House Holding a Fan

Date1800

Maker Hosoda Eisui Japanese, active ca. 1790-1823

Label TextLike Utamaro, Eisui was particularly known for okubi-e, or bust portraits. In this example, the subtle color and charming expression of the girlish courtesan capture one's attention. She looks just slightly disheveled, perhaps suffering from the heat of a summer's day in swampy Edo. Eisui's bust portraits, though not attaining the eroticism of an Utamaro or the elegance of an Eishi, are nonetheless delightful.

Object number2014.32.2

Provenance[Sotheby’s, Paris, Collection Huguette Berès, Estampes, Dessins et Livres Illustres Japonais, Nov. 27, 2002, lot no. 71]; purchased at auction by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2002; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2014

Photo CreditPhoto: Colleen Kollar Zorn

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 33, reproduced p. 56 and on cover. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Renegade Edo: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec, July 21 - Dec. 3, 2023. Text by Xiaojin Wu. No cat. no., p. 101.

Credit LineGift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

DimensionsSheet size: 14 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (36.8 x 24.8 cm)

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper