Rejected Geisha from Passions Cooled by Springtime Snow
1824
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1915
Accession Number
JP1066
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodblock print by Keisai Eisen, created in 1824 during Japan’s Edo period, captures a poignant moment in the life of a geisha. Titled *Rejected Geisha* from the series *Passions Cooled by Springtime Snow*, the small-format work (just 7 by 5 inches) depicts a woman’s expressive face, rendered with delicate lines and subtle color washes typical of ukiyo-e prints. Eisen, a leading figure in the late Edo ukiyo-e school, specialized in bijin-ga—images of beautiful women—often exploring themes of love, longing, and fleeting emotion drawn from urban pleasure quarters. In the bustling city of E...
About the Artist
Keisai Eisen · 1790–1848
Keisai Eisen (1790–1848), born Ikeda Yoshinobu in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as one of the late Edo period's most prolific ukiyo-e masters. The son of the renowned calligrapher and Kanō-school painter Ikeda Shigeharu, Eisen was immersed in the arts from childhood. He apprenticed under Kanō Hakkeisai, adopting the art name "Keisai" in homage to his teacher, and later studied bijin-ga (images of be...