Page 162 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

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KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Picnic Set and Blossoming Cherry
Woodblock print (surimono), signed Gakyojin
Hokusai ga, privately published
7¡ x 21Ω in. (18.9 x 54.7 cm.)
$4,000-6,000
PROVENANCE:
Hayashi Tadamasa (1854-1906)
168
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Incense Burner and Incense Stand
Woodblock print (surimono), signed Gakyojin
Hokusai ga, privately published
15¡ x 20º in. (39.2 x 51.5 cm.)
$4,000-6,000
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Courtesans as the Six Immortal Poets
Woodblock print (surimono), signed Hokusai
Sori ga, privately published
7Ω x 8º in. (19.1 x 20.9 cm.)
$4,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
Hayashi Tadamasa (1854-1906)
Surimono were privately published and emerged during the 18th
century in two main forms; as an announcement of a special
event; and as prints indivisually commissioned by poetry groups
to serve as a vehicle for illustrating their poems. They share two
features which differ from the commercial single sheet prints of
the period. Their text was of equal importance to the illustration,
and because the prints were privately commissioned, they do not
have censorship seals and publisher’s marks. Surimono reached their
apogee during the first third of the 19th century. The kakuban,
or square format, became popular and many ukiyo-e artists were
commissioned to design them. Two major groups of artists
dominated production: Hokusai and his school, specializing in still
life, landscape and illustrations of Japanese and Chinese legends;
and the Utagawa school. Hokusai, who began his career as a
surimono artist in the late 18th century, was a major influence on
the development of this art form.