Description
Magnificent triptych of polychrome woodblock prints entitled “Imperial Audience for Seven Instruments” (天覧栄七曲合), made in 1877 by the female artist Toyohara Chikayoshi (豊原周義) and depicting a young Emperor Meiji (明治天皇) who, in the company of the empress consort Shoken (昭憲皇后), visible in the center of the scene, attends the performance of seven musicians. In the background, the sun sets beyond a garden of pines and cherry trees in bloom.
The author of the work, birth name Suzuki Sato (鈴木サト), was a talented student, and in later life also the partner, of the famous Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周). She competently depicted theatrical actors, as well as the manners and customs of her time, with a style deeply grounded in the Utagawa school (歌川派).
The prints on Japanese washi paper (和紙), produced by the publisher Takegawa Seikichi (武川清吉) and by the carver Ginjiro (銀次郎), despite the right signs of aging are in good general condition.
