Apparition of the Courtesan

Object Details

• Artist

  Ran'u (life dates unknown)

• Label

  The apparition of a beautiful young Japanese woman appears in the smoke from a Chinese-style incense brazier, an image that recalls the Chinese legend of an emperor who saw his deceased beloved in the smoke of a magical incense. Stories of deceased or wronged lovers appearing in smoke were a popular theme in kabuki, although this is not a theatrical scene. On another level, this print functions as a calendar for the second year of the Meiwa era (1765). The date is inscribed in Chinese characters beneath the rim of the incense brazier. The open wrapper reveals several packets of incense inscribed with poetic names that identify the short months of the lunar year 1765: specifically, the first, fourth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth months. This print, produced at the beginning of full-color printing, is a rare and exemplary work by Ran'u, a contemporary of Harunobu. It was once in the renowned Japanese print collection of the French jeweler, Henri Vever, whose seal appears in the corner.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  The Anne van Biema Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Ran'u

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Ghost, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Anne van Biema collection, Courtesan, Ukiyo-e, Chuban

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints