Japanese Woodblock Prints

Japanese Woodblock Prints

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 6. Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) | The Hour of the Dog (Inu no koku) | Edo period, late 18th century.

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) | The Hour of the Dog (Inu no koku) | Edo period, late 18th century

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Lot Closed

March 23, 02:06 PM GMT

Estimate

2,000 - 3,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806)

The Hour of the Dog (Inu no koku)

Edo period, late 18th century


woodblock print, from the series The Twelve Hours in the Yoshiwara (Seiro juni toki tsuzuki), signed Utamaro hitsu (Brush of Utamaro), censor's seal kiwame (approved), published by Tsutaya Juzaburo (Koshodo), circa 1794


Vertical oban: 36.5 x 24 cm., 14⅜ x 9½ in.

A courtesan gracefully leans over to whisper in the ear of her attendant, or kamuro, as she pens a long letter presumably to a client. Beside her is a lacquer writing box (suzuribako) fitted with an ink slate, chrysanthemum-form water dropper (suiteki) and brush.


For a similar impression of the same print in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6372, go to:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/234037


For a further impression in the collection of the British Museum, museum number 1937,0710,0.94, go to:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1937-0710-0-94