Description
Elegant woodblock print of the abuna-e (あぶな絵) type dedicated to the chapter “A Drifting Boat” (浮舟) of an erotic reinterpretation of the illustrated novel “False Murasaki and a Country Genji” (偐紫田舎源氏) and depicting a couple of lovers aboard a pleasure boat on a snowy day, a reference to the famous representation of Prince Niou (匂) and the lady Ukifune (浮舟) sailing on the Uji River (宇治川).
The print, made in the Meiji period (明治時代) by the artist Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延), is taken from the third volume “Flowers” (花の巻) of the shunpon (春本) “Amorous Figures Find Pleasure in Fifty-some Feelings” (艶姿娯集餘情), a work inspired on the erotic designs from the book “Amorous Murasaki Finds Pleasure in Fifty-some Chapters” (艶紫娯拾余帖), illustrated in 1835 by Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and the presence of a vertical central fold, is in good condition.
