"Courtesan of Yoshiwara" fan

Polished pear wood. 19 cm (stick). Made in Spain.

Produced using the technique of multiple coloured woodblock print popularly known as nishiki-e for its vivid polychrome effects, Courtesan of Yoshiwara (1820-1830) by Eizan Kikugawa is part of the Museo Nacional del Prado's collection of Japanese prints, acquired from the Nippon Hanga Kyokai (Society of Japanese Painters and Engravers) on the occasion of the Exhibition of Old and Modern Japanese Prints in May 1936 at the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno in Madrid. A detail is reproduced in this fan, a traditional, effective and sustainable remedy to mitigate the summer heat.