japanese prints - Galleria Stanza del Borgo
Transcription
japanese prints - Galleria Stanza del Borgo
SILVANA BAREGGI JAPANESE PRINTS STANZA DEL BORGO Milano 2015 JAPANESE PRINTS 3 STANZA DEL BORGO 2015 JAPANESE PRINTS a cura di SILVANA BAREGGI STANZA DEL BORGO Milano 2015 1. SUZUKI HARUNOBU c. 1725 – 1770 THE MONTH OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS c. 1767 KIKU ZUKI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical chûban, mm 265 x 201 Signed: Harunobu ga Dated: c. 1767 Series: Elegant Poets of Four Seasons Fuzoku Shiki Kasen Provenance: Gabriel Cognac (1880-1951), his sale, Paris 1953, no. 377, his mark (Lugt 538d) on the verso. Hughette Berés, see Collection Huguette Berés, Estampes, Dessins et Livres Illustres Japonais, Sotheby’s, Paris, 27 November 2002, lot 19; her mark on the verso. Fine impression with extensive embossing, very good colour, minimal faults, generally in very good condition. On the terrace of a temple a young woman kneeling holds a young man by his garment. The man bears a bucket full of chrysanthemums. In the right background a young woman spies the couple. Literature: Hizo Ukiyo-e Taikan: Beresu Korekushon (The General Survey of Treasured Ukiyo-e Prints: the Berés Collection), Tokyo 1990-91; no. 12. 2 3 2. SUZUKI HARUNOBU Active 1724 – 1770 ELEGANT AMOROUS MANE’EMON, no. 10, c. 1770 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal chuban, mm 205 x 278 Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohachi Date: c. 1770 Series: Elegant Amorous Mane’emon, tenth plate Furyu Enshoku Mane’emon Fine impression, very good colour, lightly backed, slightly trimmed at the top, otherwise in very good condition. The series Furyu Enshoku Mane’emon is one of Harunobu’s acknowledged masterpieces. The set, created in the year of the artist’s death, introduced two important innovations in the shunga genre. The first and the most important is the creation of a pictorial story, which links all the plates in a sequence. As a rule, in shunga sets, new characters and new settings were introduced with every picture and the pictures were not sequentially related. The second innovation concerns the number of prints: shunga were usually published in set of twelve. Mane’emon, however, is composed of two sets, consisting of twelve prints each. The name Mane’emon is a pun; it implies that its bearer is both an imitator (from the verb maneru, ‘to imitate’) and a tiny man of about the size of a bean (mame). The storyline of Mane’emon is that, once he has changed his shape, the hero starts on an erotic study tour that will take him to various places in eastern Japan. Harunobu uses this device to depict, in the first half of the series, the sexual life of the common people in Edo and its surrounding countryside and, in the second part, the customs of Yoshiwara, Edo’s only licensed quarter. On each print of the set we find Mane’mon’s observations and comments on the different aspects of Eros that he witnesses. The upper part of each print is taken up by an explanatory note or a haiku. There are, however, also short legends elsewhere on the print. These are comments and lines of dialogue, supposedly spoken by the characters themselves. This print shows a couple making love in a sericulture room. An old man is watching them behind a shoji screen, Mane’mon is crawling forward to watch better at the couple. The inscription at the top of this print says: “On his way back from the hot springs he saw all sorts of wheat and could not help laughing.” The word baku, ‘wheat’, is a slang word, which refers to unlicensed prostitutes. The licensed prostitutes were known with another slang word, yone, ‘rice’, a nobler grain. Harunobu’s drawing, however, shows no prostitutes, but a couple of farmers in the silkworm room of a farm. The dialogue of the couple is quite interesting because it’s about the shunga. The man says “When I saw those shocking Azuma nishiki pictures amongst the things my brother took back with him from Edo, I suddenly felt unwell.” The woman tries to stop him, saying: “You, listen! If we do it in front of the children, they will be defiled.” The Azuma nishiki-e (the brocade pictures of the Eastern Capital) are the shunga. 3. SUZUKI HARUNOBU Active 1724 – 1770 YOUNG ACTOR MAKING LOVE TO A YOUNG GIRL Woodblock print, nishiki-e Chuban shunga, mm 201 x 284 Date: c. 1765 – 1770 Fine impression and colour, very good condition. A young girl making futile attempts to thwart the advances of a young actor, a six fold screen painted with a landscape behind them. 4 5 4. ISODA KORYUSAI, active c. 1764 – 1788 TWO LOVERS ON A FUTON Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal chuban, mm 190 x 265 Very good impression and colour, unobtrusive trace of a vertical fold, otherwise in very good condition. 5. ISODA KORYUSAI Active 1764 – 1788 A COUPLE MAKING LOVE BESIDE A TABLE, early 1770’ c. Woodblock print, nishiki- e Chuban, mm 184 x 243 Signed: Koryu seal on the wall Dated: early 1770’ c. Fine impression and colour, some trimming on the left and bottom sides, otherwise in very good condition. 6 7 6. KATSUKAWA SHUNCHO active late 1770’s – 1790’s LOVERS Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal aiban, mm 228 x 328 Date: 1780’s Fine impression and condition, very fine unfaded colour. 7. SUZUKI HARUNOBU c. 1725 – 1770 A GEISHA AND HER CLIENT MAKING LOVE, A ‘SHAMISEN’LYING ON THE FLOOR Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal chûban, mm 204 x 279 Dated: c. 1765-1770 Fine impression, printed with extensive embossing, fine colour and very good condition. The print depicts a young woman holding her kimono’s sleeve to her chin, she is starting to kiss her lover in an archery gallery: on the floor to the right there is a laquer container holding arrows, to the left there are flowers in a tokonoma and next to the couple a shamisen lying on the floor. Reference: R. Neuer, H. Libertson, S. Yoshida, Ukiyo-e 250 anni di grafica giapponese, Arnoldo Mondadori, Milano, 1979, p. 99 (ill. in colour). 8 9 8. UTAGAWA TOYOKUNI I 1769 – 1825 WOMEN WEAVING AND BOY PLAYING WITH PUPPIES, 1790s Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical aiban, mm 325 x 223 Signed: Toyokuni ga Censor: Kiwame Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi Very good impression, colour and condition. A domestic scene of weaving with a child playing with puppies in the foreground. Another impression is at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession number 06.671) 9. 10. KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 MISHIMA STATION, 1804 MISHIMA ISHIBE STATION, c. 1804 ISHIBE Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal kokonotsugiri (one-ninth ôban), mm 118x168; sheet mm 127x180 Signed: Gakyōjin Hokusai-ga Dated: 1804 Series: The fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, plate 12. The print belongs to an untitled series of 58 stations on the Tōkaidō Road. Very good, impression, colour and condition. The print depicts two children riding buffaloes. Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal kokonotsugiri (one-ninth ôban), mm 118x168; sheet mm 128x 180 Signed: Gakyōjin Hokusai-ga Dated: c. 1804 Series: The fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road, plate 52. The sheet belongs to an untitled series of 58 stations on the Tōkaidō Road. Very good impression, colour and condition. The print depicts a large tree with a red flowers, at the centre of the composition a square with ‘kanji’ characters. Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: a guide to the serial graphics, the Heron press, Philadelphia-London, 1974, page 65, series 81, n.11. Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: a guide to the serial graphics, the Heron press, Philadelphia-London, 1974, page 68, series 81, n. 48. Katsushika Hokusai, from the Ukiyo-e school, dominated the scene of the art of the Japanese print in the field of book illustration, drawing and painting. He was born to the east of Edo, the Honjo district. His passion for art began at an early age; he was adopted by an illustrious family of artisans who introduced him to wood engraving. The wood cut influenced his career and at the age of 18 he entered at the studio of Katsukawa Shunso (1726-1793), who specialised in popular Japanese theatre Kabuki. Under the pseudonym of Shunro, around the 1780s, he got to know artists like Shigemasa (17391820) and Kiyonaga (1752-1815) who influenced his drawing of people. Around 1790 he produced his first important prints which he signed “Kako”. He also produced fine Surimono. In 1797 he married and took the name Hokusai, becoming one of the foremost illustrators and artists of Japanese prints. Among his most famous work are the ‘ehon’, books of images of Edo, circa 1800; 15 albums of drawings entitled ‘Manga’, circa 1814; the prints series ‘The thirty-six views of Mount Fuji’ circa 1830 and the three volumes ‘One hundred views of Fuji’, c. 1834-35. Amongst his pupils: Shinsai, Hokuju, Hokuba, Hokkei, Shigenobu. 10 11 11. KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 A NETSUKE WORKSHOP, 1798 SANDARA KASUMI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal aiban, mm 220 x 316 Signed: Hokusai Sōri ga From the poetry album ‘Sandara kasumi’, the Mist of Sandara, 1798, which was privately published by the Kasumi poetry Club. The other two plates in this album are designed by Kitao Shigemasa (1739-1820) and Hasegawa Settan (1778-1843). Fine impression, colour and condition. A woman offers tea to a traveller who is looking at a man turning the ivory rings for making ‘kagamibuta netsuke’, a type of netsuke fitted with a metal cap. In the background is a screen decorated with prints, one appears to be a surimono depicting the sun rising above pine trees on New Year’s morning. On the left of the workshop is Mount Fuj i. Another very fine impression of this print is preserved at the Art Institute of Chicago (accession number 1925.3205). Reference: Giancarlo Calza, Hokusai, il vecchio pazzo per la pittura, Electa, Milan, 1999, page 137, II23. 12 13 12. YASHIMA GAKUTEI 1786 – 1864 A COCK SITTING ON A DRUM Woodblock print, nishiki-e Shikishiban surimono, mm 207 x 182 Signed: Gakutei, with seal Yashima. Dated: 1825, year of the cock. Very fine impression, colour and condition. Poems by Ryurintei Shigemaru and Ryufudo Itoyori, members of the Yodogawa poetry club. The combination of the cock and drum is a symbol of peace. The story goes that in ancient times drums were installed by the famous general Chu-ko Liang to warn the Chinese of incursions of frontier tribes. These Chu-ko Liang drums as they were subsequently called lost their function and became places for fowls to perch: a symbol of peace. The poem by Itoyori reads: The cock declares Spring has come The cherry blossom colour Is the colour of the cock’s comb Is not the cock beautiful? Literature: Andon n. 36, 1989, Cock on a drum print by Yashima Gakutei, article by Robert B. Kleyn, pages 135 - 136. 13. YASHIMA GAKUTEI 1786 – 1864 TWO COURT ATTENDANTS BESIDE A CARRIAGE AT SUNSHINE, c. 1828 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Surimono, mm 188 x 274 Signed: Gakutei in the cartouche at bottom right. Fine impression of the first version of this surimono. Printed with application of mineral colours (silver and gold) and karazuri. Very good colour and condition. This is the first version of the subject. For the second version see Roger Keyes, The Art of Surimono, London & New York 1985; vol. I, p. 126 no. 97. The main differences between our version and the second one are: the signature is in a square cartouche; the sun is larger, covered by different clouds, and touching the pine branch; the slope of the hill extends to the left with extra pine tree; the kamon (family crest) layout on the ox cart is different, as is different the bark on the large pine tree on the right. Gakutei depicts here a practice of courtiers in the Heian period. Every year on the first Day of the Rat it was customary for courtiers to entertain themselves with a New-Year visit to the countryside, where they uprooted young pine trees to bring back to their palaces as decorative ornaments. 14 15 14. TOTOYA HOKKEI 1780 – 1850 PEKINESE DOG PLAYING WITH A KEMARI THE BALL FOR JAPANESE FOOTBALL Egoyomi for the year of the Dog 1826 (Bunsei 9) Woodblock print, nishiki-e Shikishiban surimono, mm 200 x 174 Signed: Aoigaoka Hokkei Very fine, brilliant impression, with gauffrage on the dog’s coat and areas printed in gold and silver; very fine colour and condition. The background coloured cinnamon. The Pekinese dog is dressed in a silk cape and leans against a ball decorated with patterns of coloured thread and secured by a band of cloth. This kind of dogs were not native to Japan but were introduced from China. Behind the dog is a brazier with a branch of plum blossoms. In the brazier, over the ash, there are the numbers for the long months of the year Bunsei 9 (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11). At top left the poem by Ganjōtei Shirataka: Otomego ni tenareshi mari wa iu koto o yoku kikiwakuru inu no hatsuharu The ball is used by the little girls; it listens carefully and understands what they say, like a dog in early Spring. Other impressions of this print are at the Metropolitan Museum of New York (accession number: JP1032), at the Harvard Art Museum (accession number 1933.4.1839) and at the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (acc. n. 2018). Literature: Richard Kruml, Surimono Prints, catalogue 15, London 1975, no. 21; Roger Keyes, The art of surimono. Privately published Japanese woodblock prints and books in the Chester Beatty Library Dublin, vol. I, pag. 164, n. 130. 15. 16. TEISAI HOKUBA 1771 – 1844 KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 A BIJIN WITH HER CHILD ON SHOULDERS OBSERVING A MAN PRESSING RICE, 1810 c. YOSHITSUNE PLAYING A SHAKUHACHI, c. 1820 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Surimono, mm 210 x 107 Signed: Hokuba ga Fine impression, printed with mineral powders and ‘karuzuri’, fine colour and condition. The print depicts a man pressing the rice for preparing ‘mochi’ a Japanese rice cake associated with the festivities of New Year. Hokuba designed some fine surimono and he is well know also for his elegant paintings of Bijin. He was one of Hokusai’s best pupils, with Ry ry kyo Shinsai and Totoya Hokkei, and a fine painter and illustrator of kyoka books. 16 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Shikishiban, mm 212 x 185 Signed: Getchi Roj in Iitsu Iitsu (Moonstruck Old Man Iitsu) Dated: c. 1820 Series: Five prints for the poet circle Sakurogaki Very fine impression with embossing, metallic printing (silver and brass). Fine colour and condition. The print depicts Yoshitsune playing a Shakuhachi, the transverse flute, and another man playing the Koto, a string instrument. Another impression of this surimono is preserved in the Mak Collection (accession number: KI 11065) 17 17. 18. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 THE DRAGON PRINCESS OTOHIME, 1820 THE ACTOR SEGAWA KIKUNOJO V AS THE PRINCESS OF THE DRAGON PALACE STILL LIFE WITH SEAHORSES AND BEETLES, 1822 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Shikishiban surimono, mm 201 x 176 Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga Artist’s seal: toshidama ring within triple lozenge. Number two from a series for the Taikogawa Poetry Club, as indicated by a drum (taiko) drawn above the title. Fine impression with metallic printing, fine colour, light Japanese backing, in very good condition. On the print there are two poems, by Utei Enba (1743-1822) and Rokuzōtei Hōba. Both the poems mention the Dragon, which was the zodiacal sign for the year. Reference: John T. Carpenter, Reading Surimono, LeidenBoston, 2008, no 190, p. 307. Woodblock print, nishiki-e Shikishiban surimono: mm 209 x 185 Signed: Fusenkyo Iitsu hitsu Series: The Horse Series, 1822 Umazukushi This set was commissioned by the club of poets Yomogawa for the year of the Horse 1822. Very good impression with karazuri, metallic printing and burnished black; very good colour, the poem on the left partly rubbed, otherwise in very good condition. The surimono depicts a pair of dried seahorses on an unfolded sheet of paper, next to it two preserved beetles in a small lacquer box. The beetles and the dried seahorses connote sexuality and childbirth. The beetles were believed to be an aphrodisiac, the seahorses cured impotency and were used as an amulet during childbirth. Reference: Matthi Forrer, Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam 2013, page 138, n. 255. 19. KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI 1760 – 1849 THE KINTAI BRIDGE IN SUÔ PROVINCE, c. 1834 SUÔ NO KURI KINTAI BASHI 18 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal ȏban, mm 239 x 367 Signed: Zen Hokusai Iitsu hitsu Dated: c. 1834 Publisher: Eijudō Censorship: Kiwame Series: Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces Shokoku meikyō kiran Provenance; Huguette Ber s, her mark on the verso. Fine impression, fresh colour; vertical centrefold, otherwise in very good condition. The Kintai bridge, built of solid stone pillars, crosses the Iwakuni river in the Suô Province (Yamaguchi prefecture at present). It is also known by the name of Bridge of the Brocade Sash because its elegant shape suggests a decorative sash across the river. The bridge was originally part of the main road to the Iwakuni Castle, which we can see at the left of the composition. The bridge was originally intended for use only by samurai and their retinues and so Hokusai shows on the bridge a figure with an umbrella and two swords (prerogative of the samurai class) accompanied by his attendants. References: J. Hillier, Hokusai: Paintings, Drawings and Woodcuts, London, 1955, n. 66. Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai: Il vecchio pazzo per la pittura, Milan, 1999, catalogue of the exhibition , no. V.47.9, p. 502, illustrated p. 340. Various Authors, Hokusai, catalogue of the exhibition at the Grand Palais, Paris 2014; cat. 368, p. 301, illustrated. Various Authors, catalogue of the exhibition at Museum of Fine Arts di Boston, Boston 2015; no. 24, pp. 82-3, illustrated. 19 20. KITAGAWA UTAMARO 1753 – 1806 LOVERS YÛGIRI AND IZAEMON AS PUPPETS, 1801-2 ca. YÛGIRI, IZAEMON Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 380 x 258 Signed: Utamaro hitsu Series: Manipulations of Love with Musical Accompaniment Ongyoku koi no ayatsuri Publisher: Moriya Jihei Superb impression, colour and condition. Exceptional retention of the pigments with blind printing on thick hosho paper. Full size with extra paper showing left and right. Another impression of this print is at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston (accession number 11.14379). The series Ongyoku koi no ayatsuri shows men and women manipulating puppets, each pair representing a famous pairs of lovers. In this case the famous tayu Yûgiri of the Ogiya House and her lover Fuj iya Izaemon. On Yûgiri’s kimono we see her insignia, the paulownia. The story relates how Fuj iya Izaemon’s family cut him off because of his philandering in the licensed quarter and of his j ealousy of her other clients. However, all ends well, with the forgiveness of the family and the marriage of the lovers. Reference: S. Asano- T. Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, British Museum, 1995, p. 224, nos 381-2. 20 21 21. KITAGAWA UTAMARO, 1753 – 1806 TWO LOVERS BESIDE A LOW TEA-SCREEN PAINTED WITH CHRYSANTHEMUMS, 1788 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal ôban, mm 238 x 369 Series: The Poem of the Pillow Utamakura Fine impression, very good colour. The print has been trimmed to the borderline and has been pasted on a larger sheet. Trace of a vertical fold in the center, two minimal wormholes, otherwise in good condition. The Poem of the Pillow is one of the undisputed masterpieces of Japanese erotic imagery, which presents twelve different scenes of love-making: young lovers as well as a mature couple, samurai, townsmen, servants, even a Dutch couple. It is generally thought that the Utamakura was published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō (1750-1797), publisher of the most successful prints by Utamaro. 22. KITAGAWA UTAMARO, 1753 – 1806 CHILD AND TWO STANDING BEAUTIES, c. 1798 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 394 X 251 Signed: Utamaro Hitsu Publisher: Tsuruya Kiemon The right sheet from a triptych entitled:Parody of an imperial carriage scene Mitate gosho guruma Fine impression with burnishing, very good condition and colour, a small professional repaired worm hole. The entire triptych is preserved at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, accession number 21.7401-3. The print depict in the foreground a child and two standing beauties, under a flowering cherry tree; in the background an imperial carriage. Reference: S. Asano - T. Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, British Museum, 1995, p. 157, n. 290. 22 23 23. KITAGAWA UTAMARO 1753 – 1806 THE LOVERS YAOYA OSHICHI AND KOSHÔ KICHIZABURÔ Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 389 x 260 Signed: Utamaro Hitsu Censor’s Seal: Kiwame Publisher’s mark: Nishimura ya Series: True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love. Jitsu Kurabe Iro-no-Minakami. Provenance: H. Vever (3), on the verso; Huguette Berès. Very fine impression, good colour, a few expertly restored wormholes, otherwise in fine condition. Grey ground. The series depict half-length portraits of pair of lovers. Until now 21 designs are known. Here the lovers are Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichizaburô. She is on her knees with hands brought together imploringly whilst he stares moodily away from her. For other impressions see: British Museum (Museum number 1937,0710,0.73), Museum of Fine Art Boston, (accession number 21.6432). Utamaro, one of the leading Ukiyo-e artists, debuted illustrating popular books and, occasionally, producing single - sheet portraits of kabuki actors. He is a painter, draftsman, designer of illustrations for books and albums, he also worked in the genre of erotic prints, creating in this particular kind of subj ects, works of extraordinary sophistication. He was in the group of the first Ukiyo-e artists to gain a large appreciation in Europe, thanks to intellectuals as Edmond de Goncourt who introduced him to the West as ‘the painter of Green Houses’. Utamaro is especially known for his masterfully composed portraits of sensuous female beauties. He reached the hight of success between 1780 and 1790. During this period he worked closely with the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, the best - remembered Ukiyo-e print publisher, who took him under his protection. With Tsutaya Utamaro produced the finest of his female portraits, and he also designed his masterworks in nature studies: the illustrated books ‘Ehon mushi erami’ (The Insect Book) 1788, ‘Shiohi no tsuto’ (The Shell Book) 1789, ‘Momo chidori’ (The Bird Book) 1790. The almost exclusive activity of Utamaro for Tsutaya Juzaburo ended around 1793. In 1804, at the top of his success, Utamaro made some prints depicting the military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) with his wife and concubines. Consequently, he was accused of insulting Hideyoshi’s dignity and was ordered to be handcuffed for 50 days. We should note that, in Utamaro’s days, Japan was still governed by a military ruler, Tokugawa Ienari. According to some sources, this experience crushed him emotionally and ended his career as an artist. References: Shibui, Ukiyo-e Zuten, vol. 13, Utamaro, Tokyo, 1964, p. 111, n.14. Jack Hillier, Utamaro: Colour Prints and Paintings, London, 1961. Jack Hillier, Japanese Prints and Drawings from Vever Collection, London, 1976, p. 425, n. 449. Asano-Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, two vols, London, 1995; series no. 298, page 195, (not illustrated). 24 25 24. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1864 ACTORS NAKAMURA FUKUSUKE I AS MATSUGAE MATONOSUKE AND ICHIKAWA KOMAZȎ VII AS NIKKI DANJȎ, 1855 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban: mm 363 x 254 Signed :Toyokuni ga, in toshidama cartouche Dated: 1855 (Ansei 2), 9th month Publisher: Iseya Kanekichi Play: Konoshita Kege Masago no Datezome Extremely fine, early impression with strong wood-grain and over- printing. Gloss black on the dress, brilliant unfaded colour. Very good condition, unobtrusive binding holes at the right side. For a similar impression see MFA, accession n. 11.40221. 25. UTAGAWA KUNISADA, 1786 – 1865 THE ACTOR SAWAMURA TANOSUKE III AS YUFU TSUNADE, December 1861 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 366 x 250 Signed: Kio (at the age of 77) Toyokuni hitsu Publisher: Hirayano Shinzo Series: A Contest of Magic Scenes by Toyokuni Toyokuni kigo kijutsu kurabe An extraordinary fine impression from the ‘de-luxe’ first printing. The finest materials have been used: thick hosho paper and specially mixed inks. The printing incorporates karazuri, burnishing, metallic embellishment and mica. Fine colour and condition. 26 27 26. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 CANDLE LIGHT AND SHINING JEWEL late 1830’s TOKA YAKOJU Woodblock print, nishiki-e Fan print, mm 293 x 228 Signed: Kôchôrô Toyokuni ga Very fine, early impression, fine colour and condition. A sophisticated overprinting technique has been used in depicting the shadow area. A beauty reading a letter by the light of a lantern. 28 29 27. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 ICHIKAWA DANJURO VIII AS TOKIJIRO AND BANDO SHUKA I IN THE ROLE OF URAZATO, IN THE PLAY AKEGARASU HANA NI NUREGINU, 1852 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban diptych, each sheet mm 367 x 256 Signed: Toyokuni ga in toshidama cartouche Dated: 1852 Publisher: Iseya Kanekichi Censor Seals: Hama - Magomi Series: Parody of the Thirty-Six Poetry Immortals Mitate sanjurokkasen no uchi Very fine early impression, colour and condition, with over-printing, embellished with hand splashed gofun. Printed with embossing, woodgrain and mica dust at the top of the composition. At the top of th left print Koōkimi’s poem: At the stone bridge, our night together will be short-lived, as the daybreak brings wariness of the god of Katsuragi. The two lovers, the main characters of the kabuki play Akegarasu Hana ni Nureginu, are depicted in the snowy courtyard of the brothel where Urazato works, both ready to escape. The courtesan Urazato and Katsugaya Tokijirō were lovers and had a child, but the brothel owner forbade the two young people to meet. One winter evening, the brothel keeper and his wife beated Urazato. Tokijirō comes to take her away, and later manages to buy her freedom. Reference: Gunda Luyken and Beat Wismer: Samurai Stars of the Stage and Beautiful Women: Kunisada and Kuniyoshi Masters of the Color Woodblock Prints, Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Inv. No. J 1988-36 (68), Hatje Cantz, 2011, page 102 no. 77. 28. UTAGAWA KUNISADA, 1786 – 1865 THE GHOSTS OF KIKUNO AND MATAHACHI HAUNTING THEIR KILLER, 1855 Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Diptych of vertical ôban, overall mm 362 x 508 Signed: Toyokuni ga, in toshidama cartouche Censorship seal: aratame Date seal: Hare 10 (1855/10) Publisher: Iseya Kanekichi Excellent impression, with karazuri fine overprinting and fresh wood-grain; fine colour and condition, unobtrusive binding holes at the edges. The actor interprets in this play a female role because, in the Kabuki theater there were no actresses women. In the scene, he reaches out towards the viewer with a snappy gesture, his eyes are alert under the eyebrows. The ghost pursed through the mouth open a supernatural magical flame that rests on the head of the woman, at the right. She holds in her hand a roll of fabric which means sexual availability. 30 31 29. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 ONOE KIKUGORŌ III AS KONOSHITAGAWA KŌSUKE (L) AND, BY THE TAIL OF THE FISH, BANDŌ HIKOSABURŌ IV AS HANYUYA SUKESHIRŌ (R) Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban diptych, each sheet mm 363 x 250, full size mm 363 x 500 Signed: Toyokuni ga in toshidama cartouche Publisher: Ȏtaya Takichi Censor’s seal: aratame Date seal: Hare 6 (1855) Fine impression, with mica powder, karazuri and fine bokashi; fine colour and condition, minimal traces of binding holes on both sheets. Our diptych is the first version of this subject, which Kunisada replicated in 7/1856 with the same publisher. For this second version see, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, nos. 11.43844a-b and 11.45270a-b. Another impression of the first version is in the Lyon Collection. The two versions have great similarity but, in fact they are not the same. The left panel seems to be almost identical, but there are differences: the actor and his identifying cartouche have been recarved. The right panel is almost entirely different: there is no man holding a scroll on the shore and the actor at the tail of the fish is totally different compared with the first version. The figure on the shore in our first version depicts Iwasa Matabei (1578– 1650), a painter of the popular school, somehow considered a father of the Ukiyo-e school. 30. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 THE ACTORS IWAI KUMESABURO III AND ICHIKAWA DANJURO VII, IN THE ROLES OF ATSUMORI AND NAOZANE, IN THE KABUKI PLAY ICHINOTANI FUTABA GUNKI, 1852 (Kaei 5) Triptych of woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, overall size mm 360 x 750 mm Signed: Toyokuni ga, in toshidama cartouche Censors: Hama and Magome Date seal: Rat 9 (1852/9) Publisher: Sumiyoshiya Masagoro Fine impressions, colour and condition; unobtrusive binding holes. This scene of the kabuki is related to a very famous episode of the battle of Ichinotani, 1184. Kumagai no Jirō Naozane, a warrior of the Minamoto clan, challenges to fight the young warrior Taira no Atsumori. The older Minamoto warrior kills Atsumori, as a warrior’s duty, but considering that the young enemy has the same age of his own son, Noazane feels pain in his heart and eventually he becomes a Buddhist monk. 32 33 31 UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 ICHIKAWA DANJÛRÔ VIII IN THE ROLE OF ÔWASHI DENGO TADAO, 1852 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 361 x 251 Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga and kiri on seal Censors: Mera and Watanabe (1851 - 53) Date seal: Rat/11 (1852) Publisher: Kakumoto-ya Kinj irô Series: Mirror of the Loyal Courage of the Faithful Retainers h shin giy kaga i Fine impression, colour and condition; small and unobtrusive binding holes on the right side. The subj ect of the series is, once again, the very popular story of the revenge of the 47 rōnin. This true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence and honour that people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the tale grew during the Meij i era, in which Japan underwent rapid modernization, and the legend became entrenched within discourses of national heritage and identity. Reference: B. W. Robinson, Kuniyoshi, London, 1961, series no. 206, p. 55. James King and Yuriko Iwakiri, apanese arrior rin s, Leiden and Boston, 2007. 34 35 32. UTAGAWA KUNISADA II, 1823 – 1880 ACTOR NAKAMURA KANTARÔ AS HIGAMI KYÛROKU, 12/1852 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 362 x 250 Signed: Kunisada ga, in toshidama cartouche Censor seals: Kinugasa – Murata Date seal: Rat 12 (1852/12) Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizô Series: The Book of the Eight Dog Heroes Hakkenden inu no sôshi no uchi Excellent impression, pristine colour, with over-printing and gloss black. Fine condition, unobtrusive binding holes on the left. Two other fine impressions are preserved at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston (accession number 11.39121), and at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève, (accession number E 68-0033-029). Reference: Le Geste Suspendu: Estampes Kabuki du Cabinet d’Arts Graphiques. The Frozen Gesture: Kabuki Prints from the collection of the Cabinet d’Arts Graphiques des Musée d’art et d’histoire, Genève 2014, Exhibition’s catalogue, p. 74, no. 56. 33. UTAGAWA KUNISADA 1786 – 1865 ACTOR ICHIKAWA KODANJ, IN THE ROLE OF TAIRA NO TOMOMORI, 1856 (ANSEI 3) Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 363 x 251 Signed: Toyokuni ga, in toshidama cartouche Censorship: Aratame Date seal: Dragon 7 (1856/9) Publisher: Ebiya Rinnosuke Fine impressions, colour and condition; minor, unobtrusive binding holes on the right side. Taira no Tomomori was a hero of the Taira clan in the battle of Ichinotani, 1184. He died sinking himself into the sea with an giant anchor. 34. UTAGAWA KUNISADA, 1786 – 1865 A KABUKI ACTOR, 1852 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban; mm 361 x 252 Signed: Toyokuni ga, in toshidama cartouche Censor seals: Hama and Magomi Date seal: Rat 9 (1852/9) Publisher: Tsuj iokaya Bunsuke Fine impression with burnishing, karazuri and overpainting, very good colour and condition, small and unobtrusive binding holes on the left side. 36 37 35. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 SHIOJIRI PASS IN SHINANO PROVINCE, 1858 SHINANO SHIOJIRITOGE Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 367 x 238 Van Vleck page 109 n. 29 Signed: Hiroshige ga Date seal: for the fourth month of the Horse year (1858) Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizo Series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, 29th plate of the series Fuji Sanjurokkei Very fine impression, with strong wood-grain and overprinting and fine bokashi; brilliant colour, in pristine condition. 38 39 36. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 SPRING RAIN AT TSUCHIYAMA, c. 1833 TSUCHIYAMA HARU NO AME Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal ōban, mm 245 x 364 Van Vleck p. 36 n. 50, Suzuki 311, Tamba 289, UTK/14-50. Signed: Hiroshige ga Publisher: Hoeido and Senkakudo, 1833-34. Series: The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, n. 50 of the Series Tōkaidō gojusan tsugi no uchi Fine early impression, very good colour and condition, faint centrefold and minor paper flaws. One of the best designs of this series. The print shows a daimyo’s procession crossing the Tamura River in Suzuka Pass, east of Tsuchiyama. This area is famous for its green tea and known for the treacherous pass in winter. For two other impressions of this print see the Collections at the British Museum and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (accession number 11.23105). Reference: The Edward Burr Van Vleck Collections of Japanese prints, Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1990, pag. 36, n. 50. Jūzō Suzuki, Utagawa Hiroshige, Tokyo, 1970, n. 105; Tamba 289; UTK /14-50, Van Vleck p. 36 n. 50. 37. KEISAI EISEN 1790 – 1848 EVENING GLOW AT NIHONBASHI, c. 1843–45 NIHONBASHI NO SEIRAN Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal oban, mm 257 x 380 Signed: Keisai Eisen ga Censor seal: Watari (1843-45) Publisher mark: Eikyudo Series: Eight Views of Edo Edo Hakkei Fine impression, colour and condition. Two other impressions of this print are at the Metropolitan Museum (Accession Number: JP1283) and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Accession Number 11.25664). 40 41 38. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 MINOWA, KANASUGI, MIKAWASHIMA, 5th month, 1857 MINOWA, KANASUGI, MIKAWASHIMA Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 345 x 224 Van Vleck p. 134 n. 102 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: 1857, 5th month (year of the Snake) Publisher: Uoya Eikichi Censor : aratame Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, n. 102 Meisho Edo hyakkei Fine impression, with karazuri on the plumage of the birds and strong wood grain in the sky and in the water; fine colour, slight trimming in the margins. Otherwise in very good condition; album backing. The title of the print lists three different villages northwest of the Yoshiwara: the scene is looking from Minowa and Kanasugi toward Mikawashima, where the Shogun’s Crane Hunt occurred almost every winter, when cranes migrated to Japan. A fine, early impression of this print is at the Brooklyn Museum (Accession Number: 30.1478.102) References: Henry D. Smith II – Amy G. Poster , Hiroshige, One Hundred Views of Edo, 1986, n. 102. 42 43 39. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 INASA MOUNTAIN AT NAGASAKI IN HIZEN PROVINCE, 1856, Ansei 3 HIZEN NAGASAKI INASAYAMA Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 360 x 245 Van Vleck p. 101, n. 63. Signed: Hiroshige hitsu Censorship: aratame Date seal: Dragon 9 Publisher: Koshihei (Koshimura Heisuke) Series: Famous Views of the 60-odd- Provinces Rokuj uyoshu meisho zue Provenance:Hugette Berès, her mark on the verso. Fine impression and colour, with mica powder and strong wood-grain, in very good condition. This very ambitious series of ‘Views in different Provinces,’ being exceeded in number only by the ‘Hundred Famous Views in Edo’, consists of sixty-nine plates and a title-page with list of contents. Owing partly to the large number of plates comprised in this series, they are of very varying quality. Some views are amongst Hiroshige’s master-pieces; speaking generally the views of coast, lake, and river scenery are the best, while those of inland scenery are inferior. The series as a whole, however, is notable for the careful gradation and shading of different tints, one into the other, particularly in the views of rock and mountain scenery. 40. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 MISAKA PASS IN KAI PROVINCE, 4/1858 KAI, MISAKA-GOE Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ōban, mm 376 x 257 Van Vleck p.109, n. 30 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: 4/1858 Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizo Series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuj i, 30th plate of the series Fuj i sanj urokkei Fine impression, very good colour and condition. 44 45 41. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 OPENING THE RIVER, CEREMONY IN RYȎGOKU, ca. 1800 RYOGOKU KAWABI RAKI Woodblock print, nishiki-e fan print, mm 224 X 295 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: c. 1840 Series: Famous Views of Edo and the Annual Events Edo meisho nenju gyoji Very fine impression, with refined bokashi; very good colour, fine condition, full size. In this print Hiroshige depicts the seasonal event of the ‘opening’ of the Ryögoku River, which started with the fireworks festival. A courtesan wearing an elegant kimono stands on the centre of the pleasure boat. Many people flocked to the river for attend the ceremony and watch the fireworks. In the background appears the Ryögoku Bridge with a crowd of people gathered to watch the festival. Ukiyo-e artists often were engaged to design prints that would be made into fans; since fans were constructed for short-term use, not many prints of this kind survive. However, not all the fan prints were used for that purpose. Often they were pasted on screens and lamps as decorative elements. They were also searched by the most sophisticated connoisseurs who collected uncut fine impressions of them just for pleasure. For another impression, a little bit trimmed, of this rare print see: Honolulu Museum of Art (Accession number: 21719) Literature: Okuda Atsuko, Hiroshige Fan Prints – Hiroshige no uchiwa-e: Shirarezaru ukiyo-e; Tokyo, 2010, p. 20, ill. n. 17. 46 47 42. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 SUKIYAGASHI IN THE EASTERN CAPITAL, 4/1858 TOTO SUKIYAGASHI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 370 x 247 Van Vleck p. 106, n.3 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: date seal for the fourth month of the Horse year (1858) Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizo Series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, 3th plate of the series Fuji Sanjurokkei Fine impression, very good colour and condition. 43. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 TILE KILNS AND THE HASHIBA FERRY ON THE SUMIDA RIVER, 4/1857 SUMIDAGAWA HASHIBA NO WATASHI KAWARAGAWA Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 352 x 234 Van Vleck p. 129, n.37 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: 4/1857 Publisher: Uoya Ekichi Censorship: aratame Series: One-hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo, 37th plate of the series Meisho Edo hyakkei Provenance: Huguette Berès, her mark on the verso. Fine early impression, with visible wood-grain and bokashi, very good colour and condition, album backing. Reference: Henry D. Smith II, Amy G. Poster, Hiroshige, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, New York, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986; no. 37. 48 49 44. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 ATAGOSHITA AND YABU LANE, 12/1857 ATAGO-SHITA YABUKȎJI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 375 x 254 Van Vleck p. 135, n. 112 Signed: Hiroshige ga Dated: date seal for the 12th month of the Snake year (1857) Publisher: Uoya Ekichi Censorship: aratame Series: One-hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo, 112th plate of the set Meisho Edo hyakkei Fine impression with very nice bokashi, fine colour and condition, full margins. This is the last of the four famous snow scenes in the series. We see in the distance the district known as Atagoshita, which means ‘beneath Mount Atago’, the hill rising to the right. The foreground is animated and lively: on the right a rapid stream flows toward us and branches of bamboo, bending under the weight of snow, emerge from behind a fence. On the left three sparrows fly about in search of food. The clamp of bamboo was an established landmark that would have instantly identified the place to Edo residents. These plants were believed to protect the place against demons and evil influence. 45. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 JAVA SPARROW AND MORNING GLORIES ASAGAO Woodblock print, nishiki-e Chutanzaku, mm 344 x 114 Signed: Hiroshige hitsu Censor’s seal: kiwame Publisher: Kawaguchiya Shōzō Very fine early impression, colour and condition. This print belongs to a group of ‘tanzaku’ published by Kawaguchiya Shōzō with ‘kaiku’ in cursive script. Poem: Haiku Asagao no The morning glories (?) akareno sono hi are out today! The morning sonohi ka na glories bloom today. A similar early impression is preserved in the Collection of Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Richard P. Gale Collection (acc. 74.1.257). For others prints see: Cat. Tokyo, National Museum, III, 3532-3537 and Tamba, 1965, 397. 50 51 46. UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797 – 1858 NEW YEAR’S EVE FOXFIRES AT THE CHANGING TREE, ŌJI 9/1857 ŌJI SHŌZOKU-ENOKI ŌMISOKA NO KITSUNEBI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 357 x 242 Van Vleck p. 136, n.118 Signed: Hiroshige ga Publisher: Uoya Ekichi Censorship: aratame Series: One-hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo, 118th and last plate of the series Meisho Edo hyakkei A fine impression, embellished with mica powder, with full margins. Very good colour, fine condition. Unobtrusive binding holes on the left margin. This print, usually considered between the masterpieces of the series, is the only one that involves fantasy; it depicts the popular legend of the magic foxes of the Kantō provinces gathering, on New Year’s Eve, to a particular tree near the Ōji Inari Shrine. On their way to the shrine the foxes gave forth distinctive flames, by which local farmers were able to predict the crops of the coming year. Reference: Henry D. Smith II, Amy G. Poster, Hiroshige, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, New York, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986; no. 118. 52 53 47. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 RAIKŌ AND HIS RETAINERS ATTACKING THE DRUNKEN MONSTER SHUTEN-DŌJI ON MOUNT ŌE, 1851 Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ōban triptych, each sheet mm 359 x 250; overall size mm 359 x 750. Signature: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga in a gourd-shaped cartouche, red yoshikiri seal Censor’s seals: Mera - Watanabe Publisher: Amatsu Very fine, even impressions, in the rare variant edition with red circular shapes on Shuten-doji’s robe. Extensive use of mica powder in the dark areas. There are no traces of oxidation, often found on this print, particularly on the right hand of the monster. Fine colour, album trimming and slight wear on the left of the central sheet, minor binding holes, otherwise in excellent condition. This triptych, one of Kuniyoshi’s finest designs, depicts the fight of Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his retainers to kill the demon of Mount Ōe in Tamba province. Reference: B. W. Robinson, Kuniyoshi, The Warrior Prints, Oxford, 1982, no T261; James King and Yuriko Iwakiri, Japanese warrior prints, Leiden and Boston, 2007; ill 82; Iwakiri Yuriko and Amy Reigle Newland, Kuniyoshi, Japanese master of imagined worlds, Leiden and Boston, 2013, cat. no. 37, p. 63. 54 55 48. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 WIND, c. 1847 – 52 KAZE PRINCE GENJI WITH TWO BEAUTIES IN A WINDY GARDEN Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ȏban triptych, each sheet mm 360 x 250, overall size mm 360 x 750 Signature: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga, red yoshikiri seal Censors’ seals: Fuku-Muramatsu Dated: c. 1847 – 52 49. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 KIYO-HIME TURNING INTO A DRAGON AS SHE LIFTS THE BELL OF DŌJŌJI, 1845 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 359 x 250 Signed: Utagawa Kuniyoshi Censor seal: Yoshimura Gentaro (1843 - 46) Very fine early impression with brilliant and pristine colour, album trimming, otherwise in very good condition. An extremely rare print. One of the best Kuniyoshi’s legendary prints. We know only two other impressions of this print, one in the Finnish National Gallery and the other at the Victoria & Albert Museum, listed by Robinson (S1f.17). Both these prints are trimmed. Anchin, an attractive priest, who frequently travelled to the important temple in Kii Province, felt in love with the charming Kiyohime, in whose home he often spent the night. When Anchin overcame his passions and refrained from further meetings, Kiyohime became infuriated and pursued him in a rage. Anchin and Kiyohime met at the edge of the Hidaka River, where the priest asked a boatman to ferry him across the river, requesting that the woman not be allowed on the same boat. When Kiyohime saw Anchin fleeing, she jumped into the river and swam after him. Her rage caused her transformation into a serpent. Anchin, to escape the suddenly formed monster, ran into the temple called Dōjō-ji, asking help of the priests, who hid him underneath the temple bell. The serpent smelled him hiding inside the bell, and started to coil around it. Kiyohime then gave off a great belch of fire that melted the bell, killing Anchin. This legendary tale was immensely popular to artists; we know a very interesting print depicting Kiyohime by Yoshitoshi, Kuniyoshi’s best scholar. Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon Series: Contemporary Flowers, Birds, Wind and Moon Jisei Kwachofugetsu Very fine, even impressions, with nice karazuri; brilliant, pristine colour and excellent condition. Album backing. The series, of four tryptichs, has been co-designed by Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The complete set is preserved at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 50. TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI 1839 – 1892 LAY PRIEST TOKIYORI OF SAIMYÔ-JI TEMPLE, 1878 SAIMYÔ-JI TOKIYORI NYÛDÔ Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 373 x 245 Signed: Oju Yoshitoshi hitsu, and red Taiso seal Publisher: Funazu Chȗjirô Series: Mirror of famous commanders of great Japan Dai Nippon meishô kagami Fine impression of the first edition, with the border coloured in moss-green, the green dress of Tokiyori overprinted . Fine colour, full sheet with white margins on top and left. Minimal flaws, generally in very good condition. The print, one of the most celebrated from this series, depicts Hôjô Tokiyori, regent (shikken) during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and famous for his humane and exemplary rule. In 1256 he took the tonsure and retired to the Temple of Saimyôji. At this time he also started to travel incognito about the country in order to get acquainted with the general situation of the people. Another impression of the print is at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession number 11.18100) Reference: Eric van den Ing, Robert Schaap, John Stevenson, Beauty & Violence: Japanese Prints by Yoshitoshi, 1839-1892, Netherlands 1992; cat. no 27.13, illustrated in colour. Reference: B. W. Robinson, Kuniyoshi: The Warrior Prints, Oxford, 1982, no. S1f.17. 56 57 51. TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI 1839 – 1892 KINTARŌ CAPTURES THE CARP, 1885 KINTARŌ RIGYO O TORU Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban diptych Top sheet mm 390 x 261; bottom sheet mm 389 x 260; overall mm 750 x 260. Signed: Oju Yoshitoshi ga, and red Yoshitoshi seal Published by Matsui Eikichi on 1885. First edition. Very fine impression of the first edition, application of mica powder, fine colour and condition. Another fine impression of this diptych is at the British Museum (accession number 2012,3005.1). In the period 1885-89 Yoshitoshi collaborated with the publisher Matsui Eikichi on fifteen vertical diptychs that are today considered highlights of the artist’s career. The diptychs were a success but inexplicably the blocks for some designs were sold rather quickly to the publisher Hasegawa Tsunejirō and re-published with a date of 1th of September 1887. Hasegawa would later re-issue the majority, but not all, of the remaining designs. Kintaro is the childhood nickname of the warrior hero Sakata Kintoki, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944-1021). He is usually portrayed as a plump round-faced reddish pink skinned child with a body resembling a sumo wrestler. The carp is associated with enormous strength and subjugating this fish requires immense power. Kintaro is always depicted struggling with the carp with bare hands. 58 59 52. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 SPRING AMUSEMENTS AT THE HONOURABLE LOWER PALACE c. 1850 GO-SHITA-YASHIKI HARU NO ASOBI Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ôban triptych, each sheet mm 360 x 250 c., overall size mm 1000 x 750 c. Signed: Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga Censor’s seals: Hama- Magome Publisher: Hamada-ya Tokubei Series: The Four Seasons Shiki no uchi Very fine early impressions, brilliant colour, pristine condition. Album backing. The triptych depicts Ladies among the cherry blossoms in the garden: two are sitting on a bench, three at the centre are looking at them and one, at the right, is leaning on a tree. A beautiful impression of the same triptych, coming from the Prof. Arthur R. Miller collection, is preserved at the British Museum (registration number 2008,3037.18707). It is noteworthy that our sample is a variant with the background printed in gray to suggest a scene at dusk. Conversely the triptych at the British Museum describes the scene in broad daylight. That triptych is also reproduced in the first page devoted to the triptychs of beautiful women at the Kuniyoshi Project. Reference: B. W. Robinson, Kuniyoshi, catalogue of the exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961; series no. 130. 53. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 SNOW, c. 1847-52 YUKI Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ôban triptych, each sheet mm 360 x 250, overall size mm 360 x 750 Signature: Ichiyȗsai Kuniyoshi ga and red yoshikiri seal on each sheet. Publisher: Jôshȗ-ya Kinzô Censors’ seals: Mera-Murata Series: Moon, Snow and Flowers Getsusekka no uchi Excellent, even impressions of this Kuniyoshi’s fine design, with strong wood-grain, brilliant colour, in very good condition. For another fine impression of this prints see the Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession numbers 11.21395 / 11.21396 / 11.21397) see this link Our triptych has been inspired by the Genji Monogatari, the Tale of Genji, the classic work of Japanese literature written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early years of the 11th century. For other triptychs by Kuniyoshi referring to the Genji Monogatari see the Kuniyoshi Project. 60 61 54. UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 MODERN CHECKERED MATERIALS FOR NIGHT COOLING AMONG THE FLOWERS c. 1848 TÔJI ICHIMATSU HANA NO YO-SUZUMI Woodblock prints, nishiki-e Vertical ôban polyptych, four sheets, each sheet mm 359 x 250, overall size mm 359 x 1000 Signature: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga and red yoshikiri seal Censor’s seals: Mera-Watanabe Publisher: Iba-ya Kyȗbei Extremely fine, even impressions, pristine colour and fine condition, album backing. These prints depict beautiful women in checkered robes, each standing before an oversized flower. The four prints, listed as series number 112 in ‘Kuniyoshi’ by B.W. Robinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961, are, in fact, a polyptych, as noted in the web site Kuniyoshi Project. We know two states of it: one in full colours, as our sample, and the other one printed in aizuri-e (see Kuniyoshi Project). Three prints of this polyptych are at the British Museum (accession number: 2008,3037.08702). This polyptych, evenly printed with harmonious colours, is of great rarity for its entirety and preservation. 62 63 56. 57. 58. OHARA KOSON 1877 – 1945 OHARA KOSON 1877 – 1945 OHARA KOSON 1877 – 1945 DRAGONFLY AND LOTUS, c. 1910/1920 TWO CRANES, c. 1910 FLYING BATS AND THE FULL MOON c. 1930 Woodblock print, nishiki-e Ō-tanzaku, mm 368 x 190 Dated: c. 1910/1920 Signed: Koson,+Artist’s seal (K. b I) Daikokuya (172) Woodblock print, nishiki-e O-tankazu, mm 365 x 190 Dated: c. 1910 Signed: Koson Woodblock print, nishiki-e O-tanzaku, mm 365 x 100 dated: ca. 1930 signed: Koson seal: Koson Fine impression, colour and condition. Of this subject are also known a preparatory drawing, a painting and a proof (cfr. Hiraki Ukiyo-e Museum of Art, Ohara Koson: images of birds and flowers beloved in the west, Yokohama, 1998) Reference: Amy Reigle Newland, Jan Perrée, Robert Schaap, Crows, Cranes & Camellias, The Natural World of Ohara Koson 18771945, Hotei Publishing, Leiden – Boston, 2010, cat. n K.40.6, p. 199. Two Japanese cranes (Grus japonensis) wade through a misty blue pond. Fine impression, colour and condition, strong bokashi (tonal shading) on the background. Reference: Amy Reigle Newland, Jan Perrée, Robert Schaap, Crows, Cranes & Camellias: The natural world of Ohara Koson, Leiden: Hotei Publishing 2001, cat. n. 106, p. 115. Excellent impression, fine colour and condition, strong bokashi. The print depicts two silhouettes of flying bats in a full moon night. The bat was considered in Japan as a lucky symbol. Reference: Amy Reigle Newland, Jan Perrée, Robert Schap, Crows, Cranes & Camellias: The Natural World of Ohara Koson, Leiden-Boston: Hotei Publishing, 2010, p. 138, pl. 135. 55. ICHIYUSAI KUNIYOSHI 1797 – 1861 LAMPRERY FROM SUWA IN SHINANO PROVINCE, 1852 SHINSHŪ SUWA YATSUME UNAGI Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ōban, mm 360 x 245 Signed: Ichiūsai Kuniyoshi ga Publisher: Eisendō Mitaya Kihachi Series: The Trasures of Mountains and Laakes Shankai medetai zue Very fine impression, colour and condition, with elaborate embossing in the white collar of the kimono. The series features half-length portraits of women of different classes and occupations, paired with inset pictures of well-known regional. The series listed as number 117 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The title of the cartouche design for the landscape is: Lamprery from Suwa in Shinano Province, Shinshȗ Suwa yatsume unagi. The landscape is by Tori-yo (Utagawa Yoshitori), the oldest daughter from Kuniyoshi. Literature: Timothy Clark, Kuniyoshi from the Arthur R. Miller Collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2009. 64 65 59. 60. KAWASE HASUI 1883 – 1957 KAWASE HASUI 1883 – 1957 AUTUMN AT OIRASE, June 1933 OIRASE NO AKI THE NIKKŌ HIGHWAY, 1930 NIKKŌKAIDŌ Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 390 x 260 Signed: Hasui Sealed: Kawase Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō Series: Collection of scenic views of Japan: Eastern Japan Edition Nihon fūkei shū higashi Nihon hen, Oirase no aki Woodblock print, nishiki-e Vertical ôban, mm 389 x 263 Signed: Hasui Sealed: Kawase Published: Watanabe Shōzaburō (seal D) Excellent impression, colour and condition. In 1932 Hasui journeyed to the Tōhoku region (Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures) and the northem island of Hokkaido to begin this series.Oirase is in Aomori prefecture. Reference: Excellent impression, fine colour and condition. The Nikkō highway was one of the five roads that began from the Nihonbashi in Edo (Tokyo) and ran from Nihonbashi to Nikkō. Reference: Kendal H. Brown, Watanabe Shōichirō, Amy Reigle Newland, Kawase Hasui, The complete woodblock prints, Leiden-Boston, 2008, vol. I. n. 211; vol.II., p. 393, fig. 211,fig. 4 (watercolour). Kendal H. Brown, Watanabe Shōichirō, Amy Reigle Newland, Kawase Hasui, The complete woodblock prints, Leiden-Boston, 2008, vol. I n. 300, p.95; vol. II, fig. 300, p. 440. 61. KAWASE HASUI 1883 – 1957 IN THE SNOW, NAKAYAMA SCHICHIRI ROAD, HIDA Woodblock print, nishiki-e Horizontal ôban, mm 262 x 388 Signed: Hasui and red Kawase Seal Dated: 1924 Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō (seal A) Series: Souvenirs of Travel, third series Tabi miyage dai sanshū, Hida Nakayama – shichiri Very fine impression of the first printing, excellent colour and condition. The distant mountains are printed without contour lines, conveying a sense that they are being buried under the heavy snow. References: Kendal H. Brown, Watanabe Shōichirō, Amy Reigle Newland, Kawase Hasui, The complete woodblock prints, Leiden-Boston, 2008, n. 123, ill. page 342. A.V.: Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s masterpieces, Hotei Publishing, Leiden – Boston, 2008, n. 16, page 52. 66 67 © 2015 by STANZA DEL BORGO 20121 Milano, via F. Turati 7 T (+39) 02 6598203 www.stanzadelborgo.it [email protected] Printed by Grafiche Milani, Segrate (Mi) in a limited edition of 400 copies October 2015
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