Description
Beautiful polychrome woodblock print by the artist Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周), entitled “The midaidokoro of Ienari” (家斎公御台所) and depicting in the foreground Shimazu no Shigehime (島津茂姫), buddhist name Kodaiin (広大院), the official wife of Tokugawa Ienari (徳川家斉), the shogun who became famous for the excesses of luxury, pleasure and corruption that characterized his government.
The work, made in 1879 by the publisher Takegawa Seikichi (武川清吉), is taken from the series “The Backyard of Pines and Malvaceae” (葵艸松の裏苑). Remarkable, in the upper right corner, the decoration of the title depicting the triple hollyhock (三葉葵), that is the emblem of the Tokugawa clan (徳川氏).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the proper signs of aging including a small tear in the upper left corner, is in good general condition, thanks also to a relining carried out on the back.
