Japanese Woodblock Prints
Japanese Woodblock Prints
The Property of a Gentleman
Lot Closed
July 18, 01:13 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
The Property of Gentleman
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787-1832)
Fifty-six prints from an untitled series of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido
Edo period, 19th century
fifty-six woodblock prints, from an untitled series of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, each variously signed Hokusai ga (Pictured by Hokusai), Gakyojin Hokusai ga (Pictured by Hokusai, man crazy to paint) and Yanagawa ga (Pictured by Yanagawa), a few sheets unsigned, circa 1840s
Each horizontal kokonotsugiri (one-ninth oban): each approx. 12.3 x 17.7 cm., 4⅞ x 7 in.
The first edition of this series was issued in 1804 with kyoka [lit. mad verse] poetry inscribed on each print. Subsequent later editions were issued during Hokusai's life-time omitting the poetry. This edition includes eight prints by Yanagawa Shigenobu, a student of Hokusai, whose designs replaced the eight large format works issued in the earlier editions, standardising the entire set into kokonotsugiri.
For other impressions of an almost-complete set, bound as an album, including the designs by Shigenobu, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 1997.683, go to:
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