Description:
sumizuri-e; horizontal ōban; ehon; fūzoku-ga
Label Text:
This print bears no identifying marks, aside from an illegible seal at lower-left, which is undoubtedly a later addition or may signify a possible reprint. Such a lack of markings is typical for prints by Nishikawa Sukenobu, as his works on paper consist solely of book illustrations and thus would not have been viewed as single-sheet works, obviating the need for signatures and other seals. The crease down the middle of this print, as well as its size, indicate that it was once part of a book, most likely the "Nishikawa Fude No Umi" or "Nishikawa Fude No Yama," both compendia of fūzoku-ga (pictures of the customs of courtesans).
Other impressions of this print (without the later seal) are held by the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (call no. FP 2 - JPD, no. 1898 (B size) [P&P]) and the British Museum (acc. no. 1967,0213,0.1). The latter, exhibited in 1998, was attributed to Hasegawa Mitsunobu, a probable student of Sukenobu. However, owing to later examinations at the Library of Congress (ca. 2005–2006), as well as to the clustered composition and relative grace of the figures (especially their hand gestures and flowing outlines of the kimono) the design is now attributed to Sukenobu.
Tags:
alcohol; drinking; figures; food; interiors; kimonos; men; musical instruments; screens; sitting; women Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.362 |
