| Method | Woodblock (nishiki-e) |
| Artist | Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865) |
| Published | 1856 (Ansei 3) |
| Dimensions | Ôban tate-e triptych [Each sheet ~15.6 x 10.7 inches] |
| Notes |
Artist Signature: Kunisada Publisher: Izumiya Ichibei Censor seal: Aratame Dragon A Genji triptych depicting a domestic scene of Genji eating lunch. On the left panel Prince Genji is seen seated wearing an intricately patterned kimono and seated on a blue and red check quilt. In the middle and right panel beauties are preparing food and tea. In the background the doors are open and the central courtyard is visible, multiple figures going about their morning. The Genji monogatari , or The Tale of Genji, was an eleventh-century courtly romance considered one of the earliest and most important novels in world history. Written around 1011 by Murasaki Shikibu, the daughter of a regional governor, it traces, through a series of loosely connected stories, the tangled private life of the son of an emperor, Hikaru Genji, and his progeny. Kunisada (also known as Toyokuni III) was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock print in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. The artist started his career as a pupil of Toyokuni I whose name he adopted in 1844 as Toyokuni III. Almost from the first day of his activity, to the time of his death in 1865, Kunisada was a trendsetter in the art of the Japanese woodblock print. Always at the vanguard of his time, and in tune with the tastes of the public, he continuously developed his style, which was sometimes radically changed, and did not adhere to stylistic constraints set by any of his contemporaries. He was not only a brilliant print maker but also an excellent business man who had great commercial success. Following the traditional pattern of the Utagawa school, Kunisada's main occupation was kabuki and actor prints, and about sixty percent all of his designs fall in this category. Notable students of his include Toyohara Kunichika, Utagawa Sadahide and Utagawa Kunisada II. Condition: Some minor creasing to sheets. |
| Framing | mounted |
| Price | £725.00 |
| Stock ID | 53118 |