Description
Valuable polychrome woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format made by Utagawa Yoshiiku (歌川芳幾), the famous artist also known as Ochiai Yoshiiku (落合芳幾), and depicting in the foreground the courtesan Hanamurasaki (花紫), of the house of pleasure Tamaro (玉楼). To the right of the woman, a nice gimmick of the artist: a second beauty hangs a hydrangea decoration on the inset containing the title of the print.
The work, produced in August 1869 by the publisher Tsunajima Kamekichi (綱島亀吉), is taken from the “Twelve Months of Yoshiwara” (よし原十二ヶ月のうち), an elegant series of prints dedicated to the famous red light district of Edo (江戸), and is paired with the “month of water” Minazuki (水無月), that is June.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging, is in good general condition.
