Description
Refined original woodblock print of the uchiwa-e (団扇絵) type, that is intended for the decoration of a bamboo uchiwa (団扇) fan, made around 1900 by the artist Hokkyo (北供) and depicting a boatman in the rain.
The uchiwa fan is one of the most popular accessories of Japanese women since the 6th century and, born as an object of daily use, it soon became also a small work of art to be carried as a manifestation of the mood as well as of good taste.
The woodblock print on Japanese washi paper (和紙) is taken from what was supposed to be the catalogue of a shop, as we assume from the binding holes on the left, and despite the right signs of aging is in good general conditions.
