Description
Original woodblock print of the “dangerous image” abuna-e (あぶな絵) type, made in the 19th century by an artist of the Utagawa school (歌川派) and depicting a high-ranking couple flirting while reading two illustrated shunpon (春本) erotic books.
The work, in horizontal yatsugiri (八つ切り) format, is in all probability taken from a series dedicated to a selection of insects and is entitled, as we read in the upper left inset, Tamamushi (玉むし), that is “jewel beetle”.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and the presence of a small wormhole, is in good general condition, thanks also to an effective relining carried out on the back.
