Two Women Playing Sugoroku from "Comparison of the Customs of Beauties."; The Customs and Manners of Women
Japan: Matsuki Heikichi, 1891. Woodblock with ink and handcoloring on laid mulberry paper, 12 3/4 x 8 5/8 inches (323 x 220 mm), ōban tate-e, full margins. Scattered handling creases and edge losses at the extreme edges, and a loss with associated skinning at the top right corner, outside of the image area. Some minor areas of adhesive residue in the margins on the verso. Colors remain fresh and vibrant.
"The Customs and Manners of Women" was published in the 1890s, in the Meiji era, when a wave of Westernization was sweeping Japan. Women are shown engaged in a plethora of idealized activities; traditionally dressed ladies are seen enjoying gardens, practicing ikebana, playing instruments, and serving tea. These prints are a window into the lives of women in 19th century Japan, and were meant to memorialize the the traditional customs, rituals and activities that were beginning to disappear.
Ogata Gekkō (originally known as Nakagami Masanosuke) was a self-trained artist who was orphaned at a young age and survived by illustrating brochures, selling drawings, and designing rickshaws. While the likes of Kitagawa Utamaro, Hishikawa Moronobu, Keisei Eisen, and Suzuki Harunobu were regarded as the innovators and masters of the bijin-ga form, Gekkō was one of the first Japanese woodblock print designers to achieve international recognition during his lifetime.
-Parkstone International, Looking Beyond the Portrait, November 5, 2015.
Item number: 1209
Price: $450.00
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