17 Items in this Learning Collection
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!["Rosetsu uses the wisteria tree to frame the painting and to create two separate planes, the foreground and the background. While doing this, he does not paint a very prominent background, thus making the foreground landscape more important and the focal point of the painting...The sinewy shape of the wisteria dominates the painting. There appear to be two separate trunks rooted to a small sliver of land pictured at the left side of the image. These trunks merge into one stem, forming a curve that snugly holds the monkey’s body. The branch continues upward, disappearing at one point until it reappears, winding around the right side of the painting. Rosetsu uses a dark ink to create the trunk and branches of the wisteria, and there does not appear to be any indication of shading or altering the color to appear lighter. This darkening is especially noticeable compared to the stark, white flowers at the top of the painting. Their stems are soft and wispy, as if they are floating in the air."<br /](/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjIvMDUvMjUvNmkwdGlxNHByYl9kZWZhdWx0LmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjQweDIwMCJdXQ?sha=33b948efa249a29f ""Rosetsu uses the wisteria tree to frame the painting and to create two separate planes, the foreground and the background. While doing this, he does not paint a very prominent background, thus making the foreground landscape more important and the focal point of the painting...The sinewy shape of the wisteria dominates the painting. There appear to be two separate trunks rooted to a small sliver of land pictured at the left side of the image. These trunks merge into one stem, forming a curve that snugly holds the monkey’s body. The branch continues upward, disappearing at one point until it reappears, winding around the right side of the painting. Rosetsu uses a dark ink to create the trunk and branches of the wisteria, and there does not appear to be any indication of shading or altering the color to appear lighter. This darkening is especially noticeable compared to the stark, white flowers at the top of the painting. Their stems are soft and wispy, as if they are floating in the air."<br /")
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Courtesan Relaxing with Attendant
Accession Number
1963/1.94
Title
Courtesan Relaxing with Attendant
Artist(s)
Okumura Masanobu
Object Creation Date
1st half of 18th century
Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Dimensions
13 7/16 in. x 21 5/16 in. ( 34.1 cm x 54.1 cm )
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Okumura Masanobu
Japan, 1686–1764
Courtesan Relaxing with Attendant
Edo period (1615–1868)
1st half of the 18th century
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Museum purchase, 1963/1.94
The cherry blossom has no rivals for the affection of the Japanese. Every spring the national media eagerly follow the progress of the “cherry blossom front” as it sweeps like a monsoon from south to north. Cherry blossoms have been compared to samurai warriors because they are short-lived. More often, however, they are seen as a symbol of uninhibited pleasure or sensuality. Okumura Masanobu, a master of bijinga (“pictures of beautiful women”) paintings and prints, exploits that association in this colorful scene. An elegant courtesan turns to listen to her young servant, who leans across the veranda as though she has just rushed in—no doubt with word that the courtesan’s lover is on his way. The courtesan, like the cherry tree in full-bloom, is at the height of her beauty.
Subject matter
An elegantly-dressed courtesan reclining in her chambers and turning her head to listen as her attendant is leaning over the veranda to speak to her. The courtesan is comparible to the cherry tree outside her quarters, both being at the height of their beauty.
Physical Description
A colored image depicting a woman lounging in her chambers. She wears a kimono of red and blue with an artistic stylized pattern. Outside is a cherry tree blooming and the woman's young attendant in a grey kimono.
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
hanging scroll
Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting
Collection Area
Asian
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
gardens (open spaces)
kimonos
lacquer (coating)
1963/1.94
Title
Courtesan Relaxing with Attendant
Artist(s)
Okumura Masanobu
Object Creation Date
1st half of 18th century
Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Dimensions
13 7/16 in. x 21 5/16 in. ( 34.1 cm x 54.1 cm )
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Okumura Masanobu
Japan, 1686–1764
Courtesan Relaxing with Attendant
Edo period (1615–1868)
1st half of the 18th century
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Museum purchase, 1963/1.94
The cherry blossom has no rivals for the affection of the Japanese. Every spring the national media eagerly follow the progress of the “cherry blossom front” as it sweeps like a monsoon from south to north. Cherry blossoms have been compared to samurai warriors because they are short-lived. More often, however, they are seen as a symbol of uninhibited pleasure or sensuality. Okumura Masanobu, a master of bijinga (“pictures of beautiful women”) paintings and prints, exploits that association in this colorful scene. An elegant courtesan turns to listen to her young servant, who leans across the veranda as though she has just rushed in—no doubt with word that the courtesan’s lover is on his way. The courtesan, like the cherry tree in full-bloom, is at the height of her beauty.
Subject matter
An elegantly-dressed courtesan reclining in her chambers and turning her head to listen as her attendant is leaning over the veranda to speak to her. The courtesan is comparible to the cherry tree outside her quarters, both being at the height of their beauty.
Physical Description
A colored image depicting a woman lounging in her chambers. She wears a kimono of red and blue with an artistic stylized pattern. Outside is a cherry tree blooming and the woman's young attendant in a grey kimono.
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
hanging scroll
Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting
Collection Area
Asian
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
gardens (open spaces)
kimonos
lacquer (coating)
