Kuniyoshi | Gold Beetle, Selected Insects
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
虫撰 黄金虫
Gold Beetle, from the series of Selected Insects
1843-47
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 37.5cm x 26cm
Woodblock | Oban tate-e｜37.5cm x 26cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；几处小虫洞经修复
Fine impression, color; few wormholes repaired, otherwise in very good condition.
$5,000
Utagawa Kuniyoshi was one of Ukiyoe’s most creative, even eccentric designers. All kinds of action, mythical, historical and otherwise, swirls around energetically in his woodblock prints. And again and again we see his favorite animal, a cat.
This series compares beautiful women to insects. Here, a beauty in a wonderfully drawn kimono is besieged by three cats, one of whom she’s patiently grooming, amid countless dancing geometric clouds. The gold beetle of the title can be glimpsed in the cartouche above her head. This rare creature is, in Japanese folklore, a good luck charm, a harbinger of wealth.
The series is listed as number 113 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961.)
Cats also have a deep resonance in Japanese folklore. A black cat, for example, is thought to bring good fortune and good health – and, for unmarried women, husbands. And we’ve all seen the Maneki Neko – the beckoning or waving cat – in restaurants and stores. Legend has it he waved to a nobleman who was standing beneath a tree. When the nobleman went to inquire what the cat wanted, lighting hit the tree and blew it to pieces.
With just a few repaired wormholes, this wonderful design is in very good condition, the reds luxuriously deep and rich.
Partial Citation: The Kuniyoshi Project, and Kaneko Nobuhisa, “Cats in Ukiyoe” (Pie International; 2023).
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
虫撰 黄金虫
Gold Beetle, from the series of Selected Insects
1843-47
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 37.5cm x 26cm
Woodblock | Oban tate-e｜37.5cm x 26cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；几处小虫洞经修复
Fine impression, color; few wormholes repaired, otherwise in very good condition.
$5,000
Utagawa Kuniyoshi was one of Ukiyoe’s most creative, even eccentric designers. All kinds of action, mythical, historical and otherwise, swirls around energetically in his woodblock prints. And again and again we see his favorite animal, a cat.
This series compares beautiful women to insects. Here, a beauty in a wonderfully drawn kimono is besieged by three cats, one of whom she’s patiently grooming, amid countless dancing geometric clouds. The gold beetle of the title can be glimpsed in the cartouche above her head. This rare creature is, in Japanese folklore, a good luck charm, a harbinger of wealth.
The series is listed as number 113 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961.)
Cats also have a deep resonance in Japanese folklore. A black cat, for example, is thought to bring good fortune and good health – and, for unmarried women, husbands. And we’ve all seen the Maneki Neko – the beckoning or waving cat – in restaurants and stores. Legend has it he waved to a nobleman who was standing beneath a tree. When the nobleman went to inquire what the cat wanted, lighting hit the tree and blew it to pieces.
With just a few repaired wormholes, this wonderful design is in very good condition, the reds luxuriously deep and rich.
Partial Citation: The Kuniyoshi Project, and Kaneko Nobuhisa, “Cats in Ukiyoe” (Pie International; 2023).
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
虫撰 黄金虫
Gold Beetle, from the series of Selected Insects
1843-47
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 37.5cm x 26cm
Woodblock | Oban tate-e｜37.5cm x 26cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；几处小虫洞经修复
Fine impression, color; few wormholes repaired, otherwise in very good condition.
$5,000
Utagawa Kuniyoshi was one of Ukiyoe’s most creative, even eccentric designers. All kinds of action, mythical, historical and otherwise, swirls around energetically in his woodblock prints. And again and again we see his favorite animal, a cat.
This series compares beautiful women to insects. Here, a beauty in a wonderfully drawn kimono is besieged by three cats, one of whom she’s patiently grooming, amid countless dancing geometric clouds. The gold beetle of the title can be glimpsed in the cartouche above her head. This rare creature is, in Japanese folklore, a good luck charm, a harbinger of wealth.
The series is listed as number 113 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961.)
Cats also have a deep resonance in Japanese folklore. A black cat, for example, is thought to bring good fortune and good health – and, for unmarried women, husbands. And we’ve all seen the Maneki Neko – the beckoning or waving cat – in restaurants and stores. Legend has it he waved to a nobleman who was standing beneath a tree. When the nobleman went to inquire what the cat wanted, lighting hit the tree and blew it to pieces.
With just a few repaired wormholes, this wonderful design is in very good condition, the reds luxuriously deep and rich.
Partial Citation: The Kuniyoshi Project, and Kaneko Nobuhisa, “Cats in Ukiyoe” (Pie International; 2023).
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
Warriors, ghosts, crabs and cats.
The woodblock print designs of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of Ukiyo-e’s most vibrant and creative 19th Century masters, encompass more than that – he depicted landscapes and beautiful women, too – but those are the first genres that come to mind when contemplating this wonderful and eccentric genius and his sprawling, timeless body of work.
From an early age, the young Kuniyoshi was fascinated by drama and history – with a big helping of the supernatural. He loved nature and animals, too – especially cats: again and again they pop up in designs throughout his career (adding a premium to the prices those woodblock prints fetch today). Starting out as a relatively traditional student of the Utagawa school, he soon developed his hugely energetic style, full of dynamic action, and eventually passed it on to his many students – Yoshitoshi being the most famous. Along with Kunisada and Hiroshige, he was among the most prolific of all Ukiyo-e artists.
He was born Yoshisaburō on January 1, 1798 to a silk dyer. Some say his father’s rich patterns influenced his bold, colorful designs. He always loved legends and history. By age 12 he had shown a talent for drawing and become a student of the great Toyokuni, who gave him the name Kuniyoshi. He also studied the Tosa, Kano and Maruyama painting styles.
It took awhile for him to find his place in the thriving Ukiyo-e world. Then in the 1820s he produced his first epic warrior triptychs, and his career success was assured. He often gave legendary heroes fanciful and intricate tattoos of his own design, starting a style craze in Edo.
He eventually expanded genres to include animal studies and landscapes. His wonderful oban yoko-e series of “Famous Views of the Eastern Capital” is especially interesting for its use of Western motifs, such as shadows, billowing clouds and a low vantage point to create atmospheric perspective. While these efforts weren’t always entirely successful, they still resulted in wonderfully lively Ukiyo-e designs.
In all, he produced nearly 250 series for 150 publishers.
During the Tempo reforms of the 1840s, which dramatically censured woodblock prints, he boldly skirted rules barring depictions of actors by putting their faces on various animals, such as turtles.
He died at the age of 63 in April 1861 in his home in Genyadana.
Partial citation: Marks, Andreas, Japanese Woodblock Prints, Artists, Publishers and Masterworks: 1680-1900 (Tuttle; 2010)