Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) - Lot 26

Lot 26
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Result : 129 400EUR
Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) - Lot 26
Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) Oban tate-e, Yuagari no fuzei, Gyokuro Komurasaki, (玉樓小紫湯揚りの風情), The air of someone coming out of the bath, Komurasaki of the Gyokuro. Signed Utamaro hitsu, publisher Yamaguchiya Chūsuke. Collector's stamp of Paul Blondeau (ぶろんど Burondo). Circa 1795-1797 (minor restorations). Dim. 38.5 x 25.7 cm Komurasaki was a yobidashi at the Tamaya brothel, also known as Gyokuro, in Yoshiwara. The yobidashi were the highest-ranking courtesans among the oiran, and an appointment was necessary in order to meet them. These took place in certain teahouses located on Yoshiwara's main street. The prestigious Tamaya brothel had a prime location on this street, at the corner of the main street and the first street on the right after entering the district. On this board, Komurasaki has just returned from the bath, holding in her hands a tenugui, a thin cotton towel, and wearing a half-open yukata. Although a few strands of her hair appear wet, her hairstyle remains immaculate. The oiran didn't wash their hair at every bath, as their elaborate hairstyles, held in place by oil, took time to achieve. As a yobidashi, Komurasaki certainly took her bath in her private quarters, not in the communal baths like lower-ranking courtesans. 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. 48-49 Similar print reproduced in Collia-Suzuki. The Complete Woodblock Prints of Kitagawa Utamaro, A Descriptive Catalogue. 2009, p. 281 A similar print in the Charles Haviland collection, Première vente, November 27-29, 1922, Mes Lair-Dubreuil et Baudoin, lot 311 and reproduced in the catalog, p. 271.
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