Artwork

Portrait of a Courtesan Holding a Pipe (from the series The Six Immortal Poets in Modern Dress)

Portrait of a Courtesan Holding a Pipe (from the series The Six Immortal Poets in Modern Dress) is a print by the Romanticist artist Chôbunsai Eishi. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1794 by the ukiyo‑e artist Chōbunsai Eishi, this woodblock print belongs to his series The Six Immortal Poets in Modern Dress. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It depicts a solitary female figure rendered in the delicate, decorative style characteristic of late‑eighteenth‑century Japanese prints.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents a woman dressed in an elegant kimono, holding a smoking pipe in her right hand. Her hair is arranged in a formal up‑do, secured with long hairpins. Two small placards bearing Japanese characters hover above her head, suggesting a literary or poetic association that aligns with the series’ theme of re‑imagining classical poets in contemporary attire.

Technique & Style

Executed as a multicolored woodblock print, the composition relies on flat areas of color and fine line work to define the figure’s clothing and facial features. The background is rendered in a muted beige, allowing the richly patterned kimono and the subtle shading of the woman's skin to stand out. The overall effect is one of restrained elegance and calm composure.

History & Provenance

The print was produced during the Kansei era, a period when Eishi was renowned for his portraits of beautiful women, or bijin-ga. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the twentieth century, though the precise details of its earlier ownership remain undocumented in public records.

Context

Eishi’s series reinterprets the legendary Six Immortal Poets by portraying them in the fashion of his own time, blending literary reverence with contemporary visual culture. By depicting a courtesan in the role of a poet, the work reflects the Edo period’s fascination with the fluidity of identity and the elevated status of professional entertainers within urban society.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Chôbunsai Eishi

Chōbunsai Eishi (鳥文斎栄之; 1756–1829) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. His last name was Hosoda (細田). His first name was Tokitomi (時富). His common name was Taminosuke (民之丞) and later Yasaburo (弥三郎). Pupil of Kano Eisen'in…