Sekijô: Two courtesans
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Juka Sekijô (樹下石上, act. c. 1791-1809)

The famous courtesans Yosooi from the Matsubaya and Tsukioka from the Hyôgoya house

Signature: Sekijô hitsu

Publisher: Ômiya Gonkurô (Shûhôdô), Edo

Date: around 1800

Size: Hashira-e, 60 x 11 cm (overall)

Fine impression. Colours age-faded. Old creasing and staining, paper defects on top and bottom. Mounted on a slightly larger backing paper. Horizontal middle fold.
Prints in this long narrow hashira size ("pillar print") were much more frequently trimmed, mounted and worn than other formats.

Very rare. So far no other copy of this print has surfaced.

Only very few prints by this artist (and author of popular kibyôshi books), who was apparently much influenced by Utamaro, are known, including a similar hashira-e (pillar print) with two other courtesans in the collection of the British Museum.

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