Shuncho Katsukawa, Courtesans Enjoying Fishing, Hashira-e
Artist: Shuncho Katsukawa (act. 1780-1800)
Title: Courtesans Enjoying Fishing
Date: late 18th century
Size: (T)32.2 x 12.5 (B)32 x 12.5 cm
Provenance: Huguette Beres Collection
Original Japanese woodblock print.
Hashira-e, or pillar prints, is a narrow print format originally intended for decoration of the supporting pillars in traditional Japanese houses. The prints would have been pasted to the pillars and exposed to the elements of the Japanese household, making those that have survived very rare collectibles. While these more unusual sizes present their own challenges to the printing process, they also allow the artist to be experimental, imaginative, and innovative with the design’s compositional limitations.
Subjects range from the traditional portrayals of bijin (beautiful women), to legendary figures and heroes, to birds and flowers, in a limited space brimming with artistic imagination and expression.
Shuncho Katsukawa
Katsukawa Shuncho was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e style Japanese woodblock prints, who was active from about 1783 to about 1795. Although a student of Katsukawa Shunsho, Shuncho's output, which consists mostly of prints of beautiful women and shunga, more closely resembles the work of Torii Kiyonaga.
Print Format | Hashira-e (Pillar Print) |
---|---|
Artist | Shuncho Katsukawa |
Subject | Beauty & Female |
Dimensions | (T)32.2 x 12.5 (B)32 x 12.5 cm |
Condition Report | Discoloured, minor stains around the edge due to the previous mounting, light tear on the top panel. |