GYOKUSAI  (ca. 1800-30) Two geisha. (Sold)

GYOKUSAI (ca. 1800-30) Two geisha. (Sold)

Artist: Gyokusai (active ca. 1800-30)
Subject: Two geisha from the Kamigata area.
Description: A pair of large paintings with two portraits of a geisha from the Kyoto and Osaka region portrayed in a round window. The lady on the right is holding a temari ball, symbol of friendship and loyalty while her companion on the left has a brush in hand. Both ladies are wearing lip rouge called sasairo-beni, made from safflower. This rouge would look green if thickly applied. The elaborate hairstyle of both women is typical of the Kamigata region during the Edo period and is called katsuyama-mage.
Signature: Gyokusai and two artist seals on each painting.
Date: ca.1800-30
Size: Each scroll 180x44 cm, the painted part 96x32,5 cm.
Medium: Painting ink and color on paper.
Conditions: Some old repairs.
Item no: N 52
Status: Sold