Standing Courtesan

Baiōken Eishun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Baiōken Eishun was among the ukiyo-e artists specializing in paintings of courtesans of the pleasure quarters in the style popularized by artists of the Kaigetsudō studio. He even prefaced his signature with Yamato-e, in the same way Kaigetsudō artists did, to assert that his style of painting was in the distinguished “Japanese-style painting” associated with courtly tastes. Here, a patron or a courtesan has inscribed a poem to add a level of sexual suggestiveness: Though I didn’t say I was retiring for the night still she loosens her sash. She reads my thoughts, bringing tears to my eyes. —Trans. Miyeko Murase

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art