JAPANESE ART > UKIYO-E WOODBLOCK PRINTS > THE MONTH OF THE GODS

Lot 00733
N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print

Utagawa Yoshiiku

THE MONTH OF THE GODS

Year: 1869
Condition: good
Size: 24 x 35 cm

SOLD

Valuable polychrome woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format made by Utagawa Yoshiiku (歌川芳幾), the famous artist also known as Ochiai Yoshiiku (落合芳幾), and depicting in the foreground the courtesan Tagasode (誰袖), of the house of pleasure Bishuro (尾州楼). The woman is portrayed raising her sleeve to her mouth, amused by the sight of her assistants trying to grab some vegetables tumbling down the stairs.

The work, produced in August 1869 by the publisher Tsunajima Kamekichi (綱島亀吉), is taken from the "Twelve Months of Yoshiwara" (よし原十二ヶ月の内), an elegant series of prints dedicated to the famous red light district of Edo (江戸), and is paired with the "month of the gods" Kannazuki (神無月), that is October.

The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and some small imperfections and restorations on the corners, is in overall good condition.

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