Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries

I bought these woodblock prints on impulse for a few dollars each. They might be the beginning of an interesting new field for me or, if they turn out to be of poor quality, then the quick end of one. I sort of like the first print better for the tension that it evokes.

Anyone recognize the artists and periods? The dyes appear to be vegetal and the paper handmade and of good quality. What should I be looking for to assess age and quality.

BTW, Sorry if the images appear a little blurry due to the 100K file size limit. The real images are pretty crisp.

Thanks,

Robert

The first print is part of a diptych or triptych by the artist Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) (aka Toyokuni III), depicting the kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro III (1784-1849) in a female role (onnagata). I was not able to find the missing panel(s) on the net in order to identify the kabuki play and date but it was published somewhere during the 1830s by Yamamotoya Heikichi (shopname Eikyudo).

The second print is also bu Kunisada, but signed "Toyokuni", his artist's name from 1844 on.
The series title is "Hana kurabe tenarai no uchi" (Patterns of calligraphy compared to flowers) and was published by Kogaya Katsugoro in the 9th month 1852. The kabuki actor depicted is Suketaya Takasuke III (1802-1853) in the role of 'Kan Shojo' in the play "Sugawara denju tenarai kagami".
For an overview of all the prints in this series please take a look at the link from Horst Graebner's wonderful Kunisada Project website.

URL Title :Kunisada Project - Series from 1852: Hana kurabe tenarai kagami no uchi

Dear Guy:

Thanks for your very complete helpful response and link!

I sort of figured the first print was probably from a diptych. The second print, which was shown on the great link you provided, appears to have been trimmed slightly on the sides.

Robert

Roberta,

If you paid "a few dollars each" for them then "ya done good" as they say. They are worth many times that.

Kunisada did a lot of prints of kabuki actors and scenes. I prefer his earlier work (like your top picture) to his later work (your bottom picture).

If this gets to be a passion with you, check out Hiroshige's landscapes (a favorite of mine). There is a lot to learn. You have to be able to spot copies and prints from recarved blocks. Much of Hiroshige's oeuvre has been copied more than once. This is less true with Kunisada. The prints you posted are roughly the equivalent of circus posters or movie posters. They announce the current play at the theater.

Cheers,
Stan

Stan,

Thanks! A lot of this material didn't appeal to me previously because I saw much of it as too "catoonish", but even cartoons can be art if they have wit, and a sense of tension or "drama". Yes, is was an unusual auction to say the least - mostly junk but buried therein a few really nice things. I wish I had been able to find the other panel(s) but they were not there. BTW, all the leaves were unmounted.

Robert

Robert,

You are lucky that they were unmounted. The vegetable dyes on the early prints (pre-Meiji period) are quite fugitive. Exposure to light causes fading. The result is prints that are basically blue and a rust color. Yours still have good color. I turn up my nose every time I see a print that is framed and was obviously displayed on a wall for many years.

Cheers,
Stan

Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |