Courtesan

Kaigetsudō Doshin was one of five painters in a studio operating under Kaigetsudō Ando (about 1671–1743) in the Asakusa area of Edo (now Tokyo). The workshop specialized in portraits, like this one, of high-ranking courtesans of the Yoshiwara district. Characteristic of those works, this painting features strong ink delineation of the subject’s twisting form and bold patterns in the kimono, as well as the absence of any sort of setting.