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Courtesans Imitating the Four Sleepers (Yûkun shisui), from a set of courtesan parodies

Courtesans Imitating the Four Sleepers (Yûkun shisui), from a set of courtesan parodies

(Japanese, 1686–1764)
Medium/TechniqueWoodblock print (sumizuri-e); ink on paper
DimensionsHorizontal ôban; 29.3 x 39.5 cm (11 9/16 x 15 9/16 in.)
Credit LineDenman Waldo Ross Collection
Accession number06.1165
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsPrints
Description
A Zen Buddhist legend often depicted in Japanese ink painting tells of an elderly monk in ancient China who was so enlightened that he had no qualms about friendship with a tiger. His closest companions were two eccentric young men who also lived at the monastery, and the three men and the tiger enjoyed many carefree naps together. Masanobu’s clever print, from a larger set of parodies, shows a courtesan sleeping with her tiger-striped cat and two kamuro, child attendants.
Provenance1900, purchased by Denman Waldo Ross from Yamanaka & Co., New York; 1906 gift of Denman Waldo Ross, Cambridge, Massachusetts to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 8, 1906)