Beauties of the Seasons—Autumn

Maker(s)
Artist: Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之 (1756-1829)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, late 18th-early 19th century
School
Ukiyo-e
Medium
Ink, color and gold on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 98.1 × 38.2 cm (38 5/8 × 15 1/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1957.5
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)

Keywords
autumn, Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, maple tree, smoking, ukiyo-e, woman
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Paintings of this type were often made in sets, showing beautiful women in the four seasons of the year. In this painting, two women, one holding a tobacco pipe, pause near an autumn maple. Many Japanese painters and designers of woodblack prints of the Edo period (1615-1868) specialized in the popular subject of beautiful women. Most of the women portrayed in the woodblock prints and paintings called ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) were courtesans, usually from the Yoshiwara, the officially sanctioned pleasure district in the city of Edo.

Born to a family of governmental officials, Eishi specialized in paintings and prints of women, having studied painting with a master of the professional Kano school.  His training is apparent in the precision and fine detail with which he renders textile patterns and facial features.

Published References
  • Klaus Joachim Brandt. Hosoda Eishi (1756-1829): Der japanische Maler und Holzschnittmeister und seine Schuler. Stuttgart. cat. 465.
  • Elisabeth West FitzHugh. A Pigment Census of Ukiyo-e Paintings in the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 11 Washington and Ann Arbor, 1979. pp. 27-38.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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