Artworks

Kanbun Beauty

Artwork · Anonymous · 1661–1672 · kakemono · Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation

A bijinga of the Kanbun era (1661–1672): a slender young woman stands with knees slightly bent, arms drawn into her sleeves, her mouth hidden by an undergarment pulled out of place, eyes to the left — shyness or a courtesan’s coy allure, left to the viewer. Such paintings, mostly unsigned, were costly souvenirs for well-to-do townsmen and samurai of the pleasure quarters. 1 Mason 2005, p. 279, fig. 317. ↩ Literatur Mason 2005: Penelope E. Mason, History of Japanese Art, 2nd, Pearson Education LTD. 2005.