Description
Elegant triptych of woodblock prints made by the artist Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延) and depicting the ladies of the imperial court admiring the spring blossoms aboard small boats. On the right table of the triptych, the empress consort Shoken (昭憲皇后) recognizable not only by her composed posture, but also by the hiogi (檜扇) fan that peeps out from the right sleeve of the kimono (着物).
The work, produced in the 1890s by the publisher Okura Magobei (大倉孫兵衛), is titled “Kaika Goyuran no Zu” (開花御遊覧之図), that is “Representation [of Court Women] Enjoying the Flowers in Full Bloom”.
The prints on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including slight stains and small imperfections and folds on the margins, are in overall very good condition.
