Description
Elegant original large vertical format woodblock print, made in February 1872 by the artist Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川芳虎) and depicting the courtesan Kodayu (小太夫) on the terrace of the “House of the Golden Vase” Kinpeiro (金瓶楼). The woman wears a magnificent kimono (着物) decorated with a dragon drawn, as we can deduce from the signature on the lower part of the dress, by Torashige (虎重), a pupil of Yoshitora.
The work is the left panel of a triptych produced by the publisher Sawamuraya Seikichi (沢村屋清吉) and entitled “Enshoku sanpukutsui” (艶色三幅対), literally “Set of Three Pictures in Brilliant Colours”, a euphemism to indicate the “three alluring beauties” depicted in the three sheets with, in the background, the blossoming of cherry trees that contrasts in a fascinating way with the night sky.
The fine print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging and a partial trimming of the margins, is in fair condition.
