Elegant Fresh Foods (Three Courtesans at a Drinking Party)
Kikugawa Eizan
Description
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Kikugawa Eizen
Japan, 1787–1867
Elegant Fresh Foods
Edo period (1615–1868)
mid 1800s-1810s
Color woodblock print on paper
Museum purchase, 1960/1.138
Subject Matter:
All the senses are aroused by this image of three women engaged in a playful drinking game. The setting is an open veranda in early spring, when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The party scene is complete—except perhaps for the male client who has paid for it all. Male viewers of the print no doubt preferred to imagine themselves in that role. Eizan is from the same group of printmakers as Ichirakutei Eisui, and the elongated faces are typical of their prints.
Physical Description:
Three courtesans engaged in a drinking game sit in an open veranda in early spring, with cherry blossoms in full bloom behind them. The women appear tipsy, and the one at the right clings to her companion in the middle for support, as she stretches out her left hand to have her cup refilled with saké (rice wine). They have a tray of delicacies shamisen at their feet.
Usage Rights:
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