Signed: Kiyonaga ga; Publisher’s seal: Eiju han (Nishimuraya Yohachi); Two panels of ōban triptych, each 39.0 x 26.6 cm; nishiki-e with karazuri and shōmenzuri

The ladies of Yoshiwara are promenading in front of a bed of peonies on a summer’s day in order to enjoy the blossoms: Katachino from Ogiya (on the right hand sheet), Hinazuru from Chōjiya (on the left hand – or actually middle – sheet); the third sheet is missing. Kiyonaga’s bijin are portrayed more conventionally here, in a stepped arrangement, than in cat.115 and cat.118, perhaps at the request of the publisher Eijudō.

Provenance: Tadamasa Hayashi (left panel); W. Boller (left panel); Lucas Lichtenhan, Basel (April 1961) (left panel); General Massart (Galerie Moderne, Brussels, March 1962) (right panel)
Riese Col

The courtesans and their attendants are viewing peonies during a summer stroll in the Yoshiwara. A third panel showing the courtesan Shizuka of the Tamaya continues the picture to the left, completing the triptych.