BEAUTY AT THE GARDEN WELL (Kajita Hanko)

N.1 kuchi-e woodblock print
Year: 1901
Condition: good
Size: 30 x 22 cm

SOLD

Description

Polychrome woodblock print of the kuchi-e (口絵) type taken from vol. 7 n. 15 of the literary magazine Bungei Kurabu (文芸倶楽部) and made by the artist Kajita Hanko (梶田半古) as frontispiece of the novel “Senkintei” (仙錦亭) by the writer Chizuka Reisui (遅塚麗水). We see depicted a bijin (美人) beauty arranging her hairstyle, bent over a well in a garden with autumn colors.

Kajita Hanko (1870 – 1917), husband of the female author Kitada Usurai (北田薄氷), was a unique hanga (版画) artist in the golden age of kuchi-e prints. He introduced, in fact, in the genre a fresh and richly emotional humanity.

The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), edited in November 1901 by the Hakubunkan (博文館) publishing house, despite the right signs of aging and a tiny laceration in the upper right corner, is in overall good condition.