Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?-1806) Komachi-biki (rencontres amoureuses), Nouvel an 1802

Ensemble complet des douze planches de l'album.



Généralement en bon état et de grande taille, bonne impression, couleurs légèrement fanées, pli median.
Generally in good condition, paper a little soiled, large size, good impression, colours slightly faded, central fold.

Generally in good condition, paper a little soiled, large size, good impression, colours slightly faded, central fold.
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This is the last of the three erotic masterworks by the artist after Negai no ito-guchi (1799) and Utamakura (Poem of the Pillow; 1788). Compare with the set illustrated in Asano Shugo and Thimoty Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, exh. cat. (London and Tokyo: British Museum Press and Asahi Shinbun, 1995), pl. 492, sold with Christies New York 17 March 2009, lot 69.
Komachi is an allusion to Ono no Komachi, the female poet of the ninth-century, whose beauty was particularly praised.
The title Komachi-biki would also be a reference to the Heian period ritual Komatsu-biki, or the "pulling up" (hiki) of young pines (komatsu) to be performed each New Year Eve of the year of the rat. This homophone evolves into a sensual metaphore of "pulling a famous beauty, making love to her". The fact that the set was released on the New Year eve, and that some prints have elements associating them with one of the four seasons (plum tree for the spring, autumn flowers, a brazero for the winter, a cooling fan for the summer), would possibly be an indication that each print corresponds to a particular month of the year.