Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)
Bijin near the foot of a bridge
ca 1825
10.25 in x 15.5 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese color woodblock print
Signed: konomi ni makasete Kunisada ga
任好国貞画 ('left to my taste, painted by Kunisada')
Publisher: Iseya Rihei (Marks 152 - seal 01-122)
Censor's seal: kiwame
Drexel University - probably middle print from this composition Near perfect to perfect color. However, some of the pink/reds, like those of the woman's undergarments, may have faded somewhat.
The woman's robe is decorated with large butterflies against a mesh netting, all printed in blue.
Despite this writer's particularly affection for this print, it is not absolutely perfect. If you enlarge it you will notice that there are any number of areas in the pines trees in the background where no color was printed at all and only the color of the paper shows through, but who cares?
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This print has very much the look of being the left sheet of a triptych, or, perhaps even a pentaptych. We have added images from Drexel University and from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, both of which were also published by Iseya Rihei and signed with the same unusual signature: 'konomi ni makasete Kunisada ga'.
Iseya Rihei (伊勢屋利兵衛) (publisher)
beautiful woman picture (bijin-ga - 美人画) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)