Fine Japanese Art
Fine Japanese Art
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760–1849), EDO PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY | SHOWER BELOW THE SUMMIT (SANKA HAKU-U)
Auction Closed
November 5, 04:06 PM GMT
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760–1849), EDO PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY
SHOWER BELOW THE SUMMIT (SANKA HAKU-U)
woodblock print: ink and colour on paper, from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), signed Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu, published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudô), circa 1831
Horizontal ôban:
25 x 37 cm., 9⅞ x 14⅝ in.
Also known as “Black Fuji,” Hokusai monumentally depicts Fuji from the west on a late afternoon summer day. As indicated by the Japanese title “white rain” (haku’u), a sudden downpour results from a summer storm down on the lower slopes. With the sun casting a dramatic light onto the clouds, the dark thunderclouds in the background strongly contrast the clear blue sky behind the summit of Mount Fuji.
The same print is in numerous museum collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 11.25222, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. JP2567, and the British Museum, accession no. 1906,1220,0.526.