Brothel Scene

Originally, this painting may have formed a scene within a larger pictorial program. Narrative paintings such as this were highly favored among the new urban elite of the Edo period. This social class was composed largely of wealthy merchants, who possessed capital but lacked social standing. Within the Yoshiwara pleasure district, however, the strict social hierarchy of Edo society was relaxed, and wealth was the principal measure of status.

The well-appointed interior of this brothel, complete with its lavish bedding, lacquer ware, and painted screens, suggests a visit by a wealthy patron of this sort. The room also includes a tokonoma, or small display niche, in which a painting of a woman dressed in Heian-period (794—1185) court fashion is hung. The painting bears the spurious signature of Hishikawa Moronobu, an artist who was among the first to produce art for the Edo period nouveau riche.