Description

Ukiyo-e artists and collaborating poets introduced imagery from classical literature to add layers of meaning to their work. Here, a courtesan pores over a letter from an admirer, and the poem next to her reads as follows: "Having been asked to stay over, / I stayed on—and for a good reason. / It’s way past midnight / and the lady is that (legendary implorer) Amagoi Komachi." Midnight was closing time in Yoshiwara, the licensed brothel district of Edo (now Tokyo). Amagoi, or “Praying for Rain,” Komachi refers to ninth-century poet Ono no Komachi—known for her compelling verse and great beauty—and one of her famous compositions.

Provenance

(David Newman, London, England, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin Smith) (?–1974); The Kelvin Smith Collection, Cleveland, OH, given by Mrs. Kelvin [Eleanor Armstrong] Smith [1899–1998] to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1974–1985); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1985–)

Courtesan Reading a Letter

Teisai Hokuba

early 1800s

Accession Number

1985.261

Medium

two-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

Image: 156.8 x 165.4 cm (61 3/4 x 65 1/8 in.); Overall: 175.2 x 183.5 cm (69 x 72 1/4 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith

Background & Context

Background Story

Courtesan Reading a Letter from the early 1800s is a collaborative work by Teisai Hokuba (active early 19th century) and Ota Nanpo (1749-1823)—one of the most important literary figures of the Edo period. The painting depicts a courtesan reading a letter in the elegantly composed, characterful manner of the Edo period painting tradition. Collaborative works between painters and literary figures were one of the most important traditions in Edo period art, combining the visual elegance of painting with the literary sophistication of poetry and calligraphy. Teisai Hokuba was known for his elegantly composed paintings of beautiful women (bijinga), and Ota Nanpo was one of the most important writers and literary figures of the Edo period.

Cultural Impact

Courtesan Reading a Letter is important in the history of Japanese painting because it demonstrates the tradition of collaboration between painters and literary figures that was one of the most important traditions in Edo period art. Collaborative works—combining the visual elegance of painting with the literary sophistication of poetry and calligraphy—represent one of the most accomplished traditions in Japanese art, and the early 1800s painting shows this tradition at its most elegantly composed.

Why It Matters

Courtesan Reading a Letter is a collaborative Edo period painting: a courtesan reading a letter rendered by Teisai Hokuba with the literary contribution of Ota Nanpo. The early 1800s painting shows the tradition of collaboration between painters and literary figures that is one of the most important traditions in Japanese art.

Related Artworks

Pleasure Boat on the Sumida River