Utai no Shisho

Maker(s)
Artist: Numata Gessai ę²¼ē”°ęœˆę–Ž (1787-1864)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, late 18th-early 19th century
Medium
Color and slight gold on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 69.5 x 74.2 cm (27 3/8 x 29 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1906.47
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, kakemono, seal, shamisen, ukiyo-e
Provenance

To 1900
Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900), Kyoto, to 1900 [1]

To 1906
S. Ikeda, Tokyo, to 1906 [2]

From 1906 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from S. Ikeda in 1906 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 527, no. I, pg. 145, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1. It is probable that S. Ikeda refers to Ikeda Seiā€™emon (or Seisuke II), the eldest son of the well-known Japanese dealer and collector Ikeda Seisuke (1839-1900). Ikeda Seiā€™emon maintained shops in Tokyo and Kyoto under the trade name S. Ikeda & Co. After the death of his father, Ikeda Seiā€™emon sold a number of objects from his father's collection (Ikeda Collection).

[3] See notes 1 and 2.

[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

S. Ikeda (C.L. Freer source)
Ikeda Seisuke 1839-1900
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Fantasy and reality meet in the many images of courtesans and kabuki actors in the ā€œfloating worldā€ (ukiyo) of Edo and other urban centers. Prints for the mass market and paintings for more privileged owners celebrated the beauty and artistic abilities of high-class courtesans and geisha, who were often skilled in poetry, calligraphy, music, and dance. Here, a geisha holds a shamisen, a three-stringed musical instrument, as a child looks on.


This painting is in an unusual nearly square format and signed ā€œGessai Gabimaru.ā€ He is associated with only a few surviving works, all of them showing courtesans and geisha. The artistā€™s identity and artistic lineage remain unclear, but this painting, acquired by Charles Lang Freer in 1906, reveals the elegance and grace of the Japanese artistā€™s figure paintings.

Published References
  • Ikeda Seisuke. The Ikeda Collection of Kakemonos and Screens. Kyoto. cat. 43, fig. 50.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Terms of Use