Yosooi of the Matsubaya House

Date1798 - 1800

Maker Utagawa Toyokuni Japanese, 1769 - 1825

Label TextThis especially fine impression is notable for its vibrant color, richly-patterned design, and superior printing. It is one of the highlights of the Kollar collection. Yosooi was a high-ranking courtesan associated with the prestigious Matsubaya house and a frequent subject of woodblock prints in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Toyokuni was one of several artists who captured the full measure of her stylish allure in portrait form. The prolific Toyokuni made innumerable prints in the first quarter of the 19th century. Though mostly remembered for his actor prints, his earliest work-exemplified by this striking print-is especially admired.

Object number2014.32.5

Provenance[Sebastian Izzard, New York]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2008; 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. 36, reproduced pp. 11, 59. 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

Dimensions14 7/8 x 11 1/4 in. (37.8 x 28.6 cm)

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper