Courtesan on Parade
c. 1763
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e, benizuri-e
Dimensions
64.8 × 9.6 cm (25 1/2 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23001
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Courtesan on Parade*c. 1763) is a captivating example of early multicolored woodblock printing from Japan's Edo period. This slender hashira-e, or "pillar print," measures an impressive 64.8 9.6 cm, designed to hang vertically on architectural pillars in homes or teahouses. Printed in the benizuri-e technique—using two or three blocks for subtle pinks, blues, and greens—it showcases Harunobu's innovative to color before his groundbreaking full-color nishiki-e prints of the 1760s. Harunobu (1725–1770), a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") genre, elevate...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...