Toyohara (Yôshû) Chikanobu (1838-1912)
A portrait of a beauty of the Genroku era (1688-1704), attaching a tortoiseshell to her elaborate coiffure in front of mirror. The trompe-l'œil-style "old painting behind“ depicts an old man getting his ears professionally cleaned (mimi no akatori).
Title: Genroku no koro (The Genroku era)
Series: Jidai kagami (A mirror of the ages)
Signature: Yôshû Chikanobu
Seal: Yôshû
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi, Tokyo
Date: Meiji 30 (1897)
Size: Vertical Ôban, 37.2 x 24.5 cm (overall size)
Excellent impression and colours, with lustre printing. Wide margins. Verso on both lateral margins a narrow old paper backing stripe. Paper minimally age-toned, a few marginal tiny spots, and smudges, faint creasing in top margin. Overall very nice condition.
For this series see Bruce A. Coats, Chikanobu. Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints. Leiden 2006, pp. 186 ff. Cf. also National Diet Library Digital Collections DOI 10.11501/1310039, and the website of the Mizuta Museum of Art of Josai University, illustrating and explaining the complete series.
€ 350,-