Description
Sensual polychrome woodblock print of the kuchi-e (口絵) type, taken from the famous literary magazine Bungei Kurabu (文芸倶楽部) and made in 1899 by the artist Tomioka Eisen (富岡永洗) as an illustration of the novel “The Mock Strawberry” (蛇苺).
Tomioka Eisen (1864 – 1905), a pupil of the famous Kobayashi Eitaku (小林永濯), began working as a freelance artist when he was still a draughtsman in the imperial army. After the disappearance of his master, he devoted himself entirely to his artistic career and became a very appreciated and well-paid magazine illustrator. He died only forty-one years old, when the kuchi-e movement was in full bloom.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), published by Hakubunkan (博文館), despite the right signs of aging is in good general condition.
