Artist: Keisai Eisen 渓斎英泉 (1790-1848)
Title: Vertical Diptych of Courtesan Reading a Love Letter
Date: ca 1830 Size: Kakemono-e (37.5 x 25.6 cm each sheet)
An impeccably dressed courtesan has stolen a moment to herself, leaning against a door frame to read a letter from her lover. She has drawn her arms into the inner layer of her kimono, perhaps revealing that she cares from the inner layers of her heart for the letter writer. Her toes curl as she leans forward, completely engrossed.
She wears the most opulent and fashionable outfit of the time, and her large and expensive hair ornaments also indicate her high rank. The fabrics include a design of cursive white writing against a purple background and autumn grape leaves and gourds, as well as an inner red kimono with a translucent blue lining. These women were paragons of fashion and glamour, their whole mien projecting inaccessibility–to see one having an intimate moment that is full of emotion is a rarity and would be much desired by Edoites of the period.
These vertical diptychs were sold to be hung on the wall,many of them already mounted as hanging scrolls for decoration; as such, few were mounted into protective albums and the vast majority are in terrible condition due to the decades exposed to light, or worse. To be able to enjoy the fresh colors and condition, as here, is indeed a rarity and this dealer cannot remember ever handling a finer example.
In terms of dating this work, according to the Marks book on woodblock print publishers, this publisher worked from 1820 until the early 1830s.
Vincent van Gogh famously created a painting in 1887 that was based on a similar Eisen courtesan design (titled “Courtesan (after Eisen)”; you can find it on the Van Gogh Museum website.
In the September 2024 Nelkin Collection sale, a similar design by Eisen (in lesser condition) sold for $45,000.
Literature: Publishers of Japanese Woodblock Prints: A Compendium by Andreas Marks (Hotei, 2011). Signature:Keisai Eisen
Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condtion. Some surface soil and paper reinforcement near edges. One repaired area of wormage in the background area above the signature. Untrimmed and unbacked.
SKU: EIS039
