Published 1/1853 – 2/1854, Signature is Ichiyosai Toyokuni hitsu
The Woodblock Print
An absolutely stunning copy of the chuban print from 1853/1854 in remarkable condition. Trimmed, as all copies of this print seem to be, but unbacked with a clean verso, no flaws to the paper that we can detect, and rich consistent color throughout. A gorgeous, collector-quality print from the series.
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (1786 – 1865) was a prolific, successful and at his time highly appreciated leading designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints. Born near Edo as the son of an affluent merchant with a ferry boat license, at the age of 15 Kunisada joined the famous art school of Utagawa Toyokuni and took the artist name Kunisada.
In 1807 Kunisada Utagawa produced his first illustrated book and in 1808 his first actor prints were published. While other artists like Kuniyoshi Utagawa or Hiroshige had to fight for recognition for years, he was successful from the beginning and would become the most commercially successful of all woodblock printmakers ever. Kunisada designed a wide spectrum of traditional ukiyo-e subjects like kabuki themes, beautiful women, historical events and quite a few shunga prints.
