Katsukawa Shunsho (1726-1793) (勝川春章) - The kabuki actor Arashi Sangoro II

Katsukawa Shunsho (1726-1793) (勝川春章) - The actor Arashi Sangoro II

The actor Arashi Sangoro II preformed in Edo for six seasons before September 1777, when he left for acting in Osaka and Kyoto. He seems not to have returned to the kabuki theatres in Edo.

Size: Hosoban untrimmed.
Condition: Fine, very good colours, beautiful deep oxidisation of the bridge rails, small repair top margin.
Impression: Very fine.
Signed: Shunsho zu
Date: Ca. 1770-1776, stylistically and also the writing of the signature points towards a date of the first two or three years of the 1770s. Late Meiwa or very early Annei period.
Very rare (not in Ueda/Clark - Shunsho).

Provenance: Deaccessioned from the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Metropolitan Museum seal bottom right. The validity of the deaccession has been confirmed in an email exchange between us and Masako Watanabe, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Our sincere thanks to Dr. Richard Illing for his kind help in identifying the actor.
SOLD

Inventory: Katsukawa Shunsho 1wb

Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)(是真紫田) - Surimono - Antique Ink Sticks

Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) - Antique Ink Sticks

A surimono showing a bunjin's collection of antique ink sticks. 
Size: Oversized long surimono, nagaban size.
Condition: Fine, original fold marks as published.
Impression: Very fine with elaborate metal pigment and lacquer printing.
Signed: Zeshin

Sealed: Zeshin

$ 840
On hold.

We have a large selection of Shibata Zeshin’s (是真紫田) works for sale; drawings, prints, surimono and paintings.

Inventory: Shibata Zeshin 2wb

See also: Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)(是真紫田) - Surimono - Rooster, hen and chickens

Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)(是真紫田) - Surimono - Rooster, hen and chickens

Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) - Rooster, hen and chickens

A surimono showing a kacho-ga (birds and flower) subject.

Size: Oversized long surimono, nagaban size.
Condition: Fine, original fold marks, as published.
Impression: Fine.
Signed: Zeshin (in gold)

Sealed: Zeshin

$ 780

We have a large selection of Shibata Zeshin’s (是真紫田) works for sale; drawings, prints, surimono and paintings.

Inventory: Shibata Zeshin 1wb

See also: Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)(是真紫田) - Surimono - Antique Ink Sticks

Ota Nampo - Shokusanjin (1749-1823) (大田南畝 - 蜀山人) - Daruma, Kakemono Nikuhitsu, Sumie.

Ota Nampo - Shokusanjin (1749-1823) (大田南畝 - 蜀山人)

The Zen Buddhist patriarch Daruma (Bodhidharma) is seen from behind holding a fly-whisk. Both the painting and the poem is by Ota Nampo (Ota Nanpo). The poem above is signed Shokusanjin.

Date: First years of the 19th century.
Condition: Generally good, but some toning to the paper, it is less toned then you would imagine from the images. Some crease marks, some light soiling scuffs and stains.
Size: A hanging scroll, kakemono, Painted on paper. The mount seems to be a period mount. Later top and bottom, jikusaki (scroll knobs) later.
Signed: Shokusanjin

Ota Nampo (a.k.a. Shokusanjin) was the most influential bunjin, calligrapher, poet and writer of the late 18th cent and early 19th cent. Shokusanjin worked together with for example Hokusai, Eishi, Utamaro, Toyokuni I, and numerous other ukiyo-e artists, as well as artists from other schools. It is very difficult to find an original painting by Ota Nampo, only a handful are recorded.
The poem has no yet been read and translated.
$ 750


We have the most comprehensive collection of original calligraphies by Ota Nampo, for sale, available. We further have a large selection of original works by other poets and authors of the Edo period as well as illustrated books, paintings, calligraphies and prints.

Clicking the above images will not create an enlargement. Alternative spelling - Ota Nanpo
Inventory: Ota Nampo Shokusanjin 1wb

Japanese woodblock prints - How to make a woodblock print, Japanese style.

Making Wood Block Prints

A 5.5-minute video on Japanese style woodblock print making by the 73 years old Canadian artist Graham Scholes.

Included is also a very short scene on traditional Japanese paper making.

There are some subtle differences between Graham's technique and the traditional ukiyoe style printmaking. Hopefully we can post a video of a traditional Japanese print maker some time in the future and explain the differences.

Thank you very much Graham for producing a very good visual of woodblock print production. Thanks!

Also look at our 18th and 19th cent. Ukiyo-e and Woodblock Prints - Click HOME