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Yoshiwara monzen
Yoshiwara daimonzennai oiran dôchû zu
吉原大門内花魁道中図
Procession of Courtesans inside the Main Gate of the Yoshiwara
Yoshiwara monzen
Yoshiwara daimonzennai oiran dôchû zu
吉原大門内花魁道中図
Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japanese, 1769–1825)
Japanese
Edo period
about 1795 (Kansei 7)
Medium/Technique
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and mica on silk
Dimensions
Image: 46 x 69 cm (18 1/8 x 27 3/16 in.)
Overall: 147 x 87 cm (57 7/8 x 34 1/4 in.)
Overall: 147 x 87 cm (57 7/8 x 34 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.7869
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsPaintings
Toyokuni meticulously portrays contemporary life in the Yoshiwara. Inside the main gate a chic client wearing a loose outer robe is being flattered by an obsequious male entertainer. To the right are two high-ranking courtesans and their retinues of assistants and child attendants. Behind them are rows of teahouses with their green bamboo blinds, where clients would await the arrival of the women; the establishments’ names are written on the curtains along the eaves. At upper left, a palanquin hurries along the causeway that led to the district.
Catalogue Raisonné
Drama and Desire (2007), cat. no. 53; Kajima Foundation MFA cat. 2 (2003), ch. III (Ukiyo-e), no. 330
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.