KUNICHIKA

Artist: Toyohara Kunichika 豊原国周 (1835–1900) Title: Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Domo no Matahei (吃又平, "Matahei the Stutterer") Series: Ichikawa Danjūrō Engei Hyakuban 市川団十郎演芸百番 Date: Colophon dated February, Meiji 30 (1897) Publisher: Fukuda Kumajirō 福田熊次郎, Nihonbashi-ku, Hasegawa-chō 19, Tokyo Block carver: Nisei Horiei 二世彫栄 (Horiei II) Signature / seals: Signed Kunichika hitsu 國周筆 in a cartouche, with the artist's red ring seal Format: Ōban tate-e, approx. 36 × 24 cm, full sheet with margins Condition Very good colour and impression with generous margins. The paper is firm and subtle with minor toning. The print carries an album backing. Very good overall! Please check the images! THE PRINT Domo no Matahei is the hero of Keisei Hangonkō (傾城反魂香), a play written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon in 1708 and later adapted for kabuki. Matahei is a gifted but poor painter with a severe stutter, and a pupil of the Tosa school master Tosa Shōgen Mitsunobu. Because of his stammer and low standing, his master refuses to grant him the Tosa artist name, while lesser pupils receive it. In despair, Matahei decides to end his life and paints a self-portrait on a stone washbasin as his final work. The portrait miraculously passes through the stone and appears on the other side. Moved by this proof of his talent, the master finally gives him the name Tosa no Matahei Mitsuoki. The scene became one of the best-loved episodes of the kabuki repertoire. Its mix of humour, pathos and triumph made it a showcase for leading actors. The series was commissioned from Kunichika by Fukuda Kumajirō together with Gusokuya Kahei and began in 1893. Sheets were released gradually over several years, and the last designs appeared in 1903, after the artist's death. It is widely regarded as the high point of Kunichika's late work. The designs were printed with costly materials and techniques. The Honolulu Museum of Art holds an impression of this design.

Estimation:€150

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