Toyokuni II Utagawa, Courtesan from Tamaya, Prussian Blue
Artist: Toyokuni II Utagawa (1777 - 1835)
Title: Courtesan Utagawa from Tamaya
Series: Matching Beauties
Publisher: Not sealed
Date: c.1810s
Size: 24.8 x 34.2 cm
Original Japanese woodblock print.
A portrait of a beauty completed entirely in Prussian blue. Entering Japan from the West, the then expensive and exotic pigment sparked a wealth of inspiration for artists during the Edo period (c. 1603-1868). The demand for this colour is clear from the fact entire works were composed in it almost monochromatically, with perhaps the most famous example being Katsushika Hokusai’s (1760-1849) 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' (1829–1832).
Toyokuni II Utagawa
Formerly known as Toyoshige, he was a pupil and the son-in-law of Toyokuni I. After the death of his master in 1825, he called himself Toyokuni II. This was to the chagrin of Kunisada Utagawa, who did not officially recognise the name, believing he was the better choice to head up the Utagawa School after Toyokuni I’s death.
His prints of actors and bijin are in Toyokuni’s manner, but his landscape prints have elements resembling Hokusai and Hiroshige. Although the woodblock prints of Toyokuni II are often considered ‘mediocre’, this is confused with the faithful keeping to the style of Toyokuni I. Toyokuni II’s ukiyo-e prints are well executed, and can stand their ground against the works of his contemporaries.
| Print Format | Oban (Vertical) |
|---|---|
| Artist | Toyokuni II Utagawa |
| Subject | Beauty & Female, Kimono Design |
| Dimensions | 24.8 x 34.2 cm |
| Condition Report | Thin paper, light soiling and creases, pinholes along the edges, minor holes. |
| Folders | In Store, DD |
