Courtesan in Moonlight

ca. 1825-30

Japanese, 1790 - 1848

The extravaganza of this courtesan’s fashion is on full display in this painting. Her multiple layers of kimono are finished with an outer robe decorated with a striking design of a lion with a branch of peony in its mouth. A bright orange oversized obi sash is loosely draped at her front, and her hairpins are equally oversized, as if to attract attention. A bare foot is revealed under the red kimono, subtle but suggestive.

Ink, color and gold pigment on silk

33 3/8 x 14 1/8 in. (84.8 x 35.9 cm)

Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar

2015.17.3

Provenance: Collection of Mary and Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2015

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 41, reproduced p. 64.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Nature and Pattern in Japanese Design, Dec. 21, 2013 - Dec. 2014.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 30, 2022 - Jan. 8, 2023].

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