Print Item Number: N2.1179 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Two-part print, showing two men (part b) and one woman (part a). The woman is crouching down over a white rod with a yellow basket at either end on the left side. Her right hand is on the white rod while her left hand is in an upward motion as she turns her face to the right side. She is wearing clothing that has a white floral pattern in circles on pale pink and blue backgrounds. The men are on the right side with one holding the other by the scruff of the neck with his left hand while his right hand is holding up the lower portion of his garment. He is wearing clothing that has a white floral pattern with zig zags on light blue and pale blue backgrounds. The other man is wearing clothing that has a brown and black checker-like pattern on a yellow background covered by a green garment. Yellow houses are in the background with a grey-black sky and a green ground. Around the woman from the top (right clockwise) are the following: a vertically rectangular, red seal; a circular red seal with a black character next to it; and a vertically rectangular, red and yellow seal with three circular black ones around it. In the upper right corner above the men are two vertically rectangular, red seals; in the lower right corner is a vertically rectangular, red and yellow seal surrounded by three circular black seals, a circular red seal, and a black character. The print is made of two vertically rectangular pages, creating a horizontally rectangular image overall.
Narrative
The print is signed Toyokuni ga (豊國画). From around 1850 on, almost all his prints have the signature enclosed in a Toshidama waku (年玉枠) or cartouche. By around 1860 most prints were only signed with Toyokuni ga (豊國画) in these cartouches (mostly red but sometimes yellow).
Item History
- Made by Kunisada Utagawa (Maker) in Japan between 1850 and 1864
- Collected between 1910 and 1930
- Owned by James Fyfe-Smith and Mary G. Fyfe-Smith
- Owned by Florence Fyfe-Smith before 1957
- Received from Florence Fyfe-Smith (Donor) during 1957
What
- Name
- Identification Number
- N2.1179 a-b
- Type of Item
- Manufacturing Technique
- woodblock printed
- Overall
- height 36.1 cm, width 49.5 cm
- Part A
- height 36.1 cm, width 24.7 cm
- Part B
- height 36.1 cm, width 24.8 cm
Who
- Culture
- Japanese
- Creator
- Kunisada Utagawa (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- James Fyfe-Smith, Mary G. Fyfe-Smith and Florence Fyfe-Smith
- Received from
- Florence Fyfe-Smith (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Japan
When
- Creation Date
- between 1850 and 1864
- Collection Date
- between 1910 and 1930
- Ownership Date
- before 1957
- Acquisition Date
- during 1957
Other
- Item Classes
- works on paper
- Condition
- good