JAPANESE ART > UKIYO-E WOODBLOCK PRINTS > THE LADY OF THE MISTY MOON

Lot 00801
N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print

Utagawa Kunisada III

THE LADY OF THE MISTY MOON

Year: 1897
Condition: very good
Size: 35 x 24 cm

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«Not shining / and yet not covered by cloud / on a night in spring, / the misty moon / is beyond compare» (てりもせず / くもりもはてぬ / はるのよの / おぼろ月よに / しく物ぞなき). The lady of the misty moon (朧月夜の君), daughter of the Minister of the Right (右大臣), recited the incipit of these famous verses by the poet Oe no Chisato (大江千里) advancing towards Prince Genji (源氏) on the occasion of their first meeting.

The elegant woodblock print presented here, made by the artist Utagawa Kunisada III (三代目歌川国貞), is taken from the series "Fifty-four Chapters of Genji" (源氏五十四帖) and is dedicated to the eighth chapter, "A Banquet Celebrating Cherry Blossoms" (花宴), of "Genji Monogatari" (源氏物語), the masterpiece of Japanese literature written in 11th century by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部).

The work, produced in 1897 by the publisher Fukuda Hatsujiro (福田初次郎), owner of Gusokuya (具足屋), despite the right signs of aging is in overall very good condition, thanks also to an effective relining carried out on the back.

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