Description
Rare polychrome woodblock print of large vertical format made around 1845 by the famous artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) and depicting a bijin (美人) beauty caught in the act of undressing, more precisely when taking off the tabi (足袋) socks, probably at the end of a walk dedicated to the traditional hanami (花見). On the futon behind the woman already lie the pillow obimakura (帯枕) of her sash and her fan.
The work, printed by the publisher Kogaya Katsugoro (古賀屋勝五郎), is entitled “Early Flowering Cherry Trees in Ueno” (上野乃ひかん桜) and is taken from the series “Anthology of Six Flowers of Chosen Girls” (見立娘六花選).
The precious woodcut on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the obvious signs of aging and the small antique restorations, keeps intact its extraordinary visual impact.
