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Lot Essay
As Chobunsai Eishi (1756-1829)'s most recognized pupil, Eisho was active for only a brief period during Kansei Era(1789-1801). However he soon built his towering fame through his okubi-e, especially this Kakuchu bijin kurabe (Contest of Tea House Beauties) series, in which Eisho employed simplified outlines to capture the charisma of the most admired courtesans at the time.
In this particular print, Eisho made the beauty held a smoking pipe and put a fairly mild color palette on her. The teacher Eishi also made a portrait of the same figure, Shizuka, in his Beauties of the Yoshiwara as Six Floral Immortals series. With similar color and clothing to Eisho's, Eishi shared an intimate moment of the courtesan being at ease and disregarded any gaze from viewers. Eisho's Shizuka, on the other hand, appeared to be more conscious of her charm with her adulatory facial expression and her suggestive pose which reveals her collarbone and curvy neckline. The glamorous essence of a beauty at the peak of her career was extensively captured, therefore Eisho made his fame amidst great artists like Utamaro and Kiyonaga.
In this particular print, Eisho made the beauty held a smoking pipe and put a fairly mild color palette on her. The teacher Eishi also made a portrait of the same figure, Shizuka, in his Beauties of the Yoshiwara as Six Floral Immortals series. With similar color and clothing to Eisho's, Eishi shared an intimate moment of the courtesan being at ease and disregarded any gaze from viewers. Eisho's Shizuka, on the other hand, appeared to be more conscious of her charm with her adulatory facial expression and her suggestive pose which reveals her collarbone and curvy neckline. The glamorous essence of a beauty at the peak of her career was extensively captured, therefore Eisho made his fame amidst great artists like Utamaro and Kiyonaga.