
Jeff Olson
Director
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Sold for US$25,000 inc. premium
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Director
Provenance:
Purchased from Yushima Seido Confucian temple, Tokyo, 1956
Depictions of yuraku-zu (pictures of amusements), a major sub-category of fuzoku-ga (genre painting), developed out of pictorial themes associated with tsukinami fuzoku-zu (pictures of seasonal rituals and customs). They played a prominent role in Momoyama-period (1578-1615) painting and their focus began to broaden in the early Edo period to encompass subject matter inspired by pleasure districts in the major urban centers. In works of this category known as fujo yuraku-zu, relatively large-scale figures of courtesans or entertainers were portrayed in alluring postures and lavish costumes silhouetted against an empty gold background in order to emphasize the latest fashions and hairstyles.