Courtesan Reading a Letter

Teisai Hokuba’s “Courtesan Reading a Letter” is a two-panel folding screen. Ink and color on paper. Early 1800s.

The scene shows a courtesan absorbed in reading a letter. Her expression is calm, her posture relaxed. Edo period Japan.

Hokuba was active during the Edo period, a time of cultural flourishing in Japan. His works often depicted scenes from everyday life.

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. https://clevelandart.org/art/1985.261

https://oolf.net/open-art/hokuba-courtesan-reading-a-letter/