Lot n° 21
Estimation :
2500 - 3000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 8 023EUR
Ippitsusai Bunchō (1765-1792) - Lot 21
Ippitsusai Bunchō (1765-1792)
Hosoban, actor Segawa Kikunojō II as Tamagiku (二代目瀬川菊之丞の玉菊) from the play Kawaranu hana sakae
hachi-no-ki (常花栄鉢木), The eternally blooming potted tree. Signed Ippitsusai Bunchō ga and artist's stamp Mori uji, publisher Eijudō. Collector's stamp HV by Henri Vever. 1769 (minor restoration).
Dim. 32.1 x 14.9 cm
This print depicts the actor Segawa Kikunojō II (1741-73), who specialized in female roles, in Act III Momiji kumo
nishiki no tsuri yogi from the play Kawaranu hana sakae hachi-no-ki performed in 1769. The actor takes on the role of Tamagiku, an oiran from the pleasure district famous for her beauty, generosity and talent. She became a source of inspiration for playwrights and
artists after her tragic death from a sake overdose. In the play, set in autumn,
Tamagiku tries to steal a precious demon mask.
Kikunojō II was also a fashion icon of his time. His pen name Rokō was used for a particular shade of brown called Rokō cha.
References:
This print appeared in the exhibition The Riddles of Ukiyo-e. Women and Men in Japanese Prints 1765-1865, Japan Museum SieboldHuis, Leiden, 2023.
Reproduced in the exhibition catalog, pp. 196-197.
A similar print in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 54.490
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