Page 14 - Sotheby's London Fine Japanese Art Nov. 2019

THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN LA DY

10

THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN LADY
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760–1849)
SOUTH WIND, CLEAR SKY (GAIFÛ
KAISEI), ALSO KNOWN AS RED FUJI
EDO PERIOD, 19 TH CENTURY
woodblock print: ink and colour on
paper, from the series Thirty-six Views of
Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjûrokkei), signed
Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu, published by
Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudô), circa 1830–31
Horizontal ôban:
25.2 x 37 cm., 9⅞ x 14⅝ in.
Gaifū kaisei [South Wind, Clear Sky] in the
title indicates that the depicted season is
summer, during which Mount Fuji appears
to turn scarlet under the morning sun while
a soft breeze of air comes from the south. In
his seventies, Hokusai updated his signature
with the artistic sobriquet Iitsu, indicating his
presumably high satisfaction with the series
Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji. The woodgrain
on the block used for this print adds a
three-dimensional quality to the surface of
Mount Fuji. The Red Fuji creates a unique
compositional illusion against the blue sky
with bands of clouds.
Similar examples are in various museum
collections including the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, accession no. 21.6756, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.
JP2960, and the British Museum, accession
no. 1906,1220,0.525.

£ 200,000-300,000
€ 225,000-337,000 US$ 249,000-373,000

12 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstances).
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.