Courtesan with a Kitten 1700 - 1733

Nishikawa Sukenobu created this image of a courtesan with a kitten sometime in the first half of the 18th century, using ink and color on silk. It shows a high-ranking courtesan in a moment of leisure, seated next to a shamisen and a tea set. In the Edo period, when this image was made, the Yoshiwara district in Japan was home to many courtesans who were often the subject of popular art. These women were entertainers, skilled in conversation, music, and dance and, because they were style-setters, their portraits record the fashions of the time. Woodblock prints and paintings of courtesans were extremely popular with the merchant class, who had the wealth to enjoy the pleasure quarters. This painting isn’t just a pretty picture, however; the way the subject is posed reflects the highly controlled world that these women lived in. Courtisans were expected to embody ideals of beauty and refinement and this painting captures the way they had to perform for the male gaze. To better understand these images, social historians often turn to sources like diaries, literature, and government records. These resources help us to look beyond the surface beauty of these images and explore the complex social and institutional structures that shaped them.