Page 30 - Sotheby's London Fine Japanese Art Nov. 2019

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEM AN

21

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
TOSHUSAI SHARAKU (ACTIVE 1794–
1795)
ACTOR BANDÔ HIKOSABURÔ III AS
SAGISAKA SANAI
EDO PERIOD, 18 TH CENTURY

woodblock print: ink, colour, and mica
on paper, signed Tôshûsai Sharaku ga,
published by Tsutaya Jûzaburô (Kôshodô),
censor’s seal kiwame, 1794
Vertical ôban:
38.5 x 25.5 cm., 151/4 x 101/8 in.
This print is a half-length depiction of Bando
Hikosaburo III during his portrayal of Sagisaka
Sanai holding a lamp in his right hand in a
scene from the play Koi Nyôbô Somewake
Tazuna performed at the Kawarazaki-za
in the fifth month, Kansei 6 (1794). The
artist’s signature gestalt of the actor’s face
dramatically dominates the print on the
simple mica background.
Despite the contemporary appreciation of the
artist Toshusai Sharaku, his artistic career as
an ukiyo-e designer was short lived and lasted
only from 1794 to 1795. While a number of
drawings for prints presumably never reached
the publishing stage, he designed around 140
prints depicting exclusively Kabuki actors,
the theater and sumo wrestlers. His work was
highly criticised by his contemporaries in Edo
up to a degree where his publisher Tsutaya
Juzaburo decided not to sponsor the artist in
a highly competitive, lucrative print market.
The rejection of Sharaku’s work was nearly
unanimous and this perhaps accounts for
the fact that no records concerning his life or
even his identity have been discovered until
today.
Similar prints are in numerous museum
collections including the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, accession no. 21.5827, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.
JP2823, and the British Museum, accession
no. 1909,0618,0.35.
‡ £ 200,000-300,000
€ 225,000-337,000 US$ 249,000-373,000

NO LOT 22

28 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.