Lot n° 134
Estimation :
2000 - 5000
EUR
Result without fees
Result
: 32 000EUR
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) - Lot 134
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
The Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji "Fuji Sanju-Rokkei
Back cover, table of contents and 30 prints of the album originally composed of 18 double sheets bound in Japanese style
Signature: Hiroshige ga, publisher's stamp Tsutaya Kichizo (Tsutaya Kichibei).
Japan: 1858
Oban tate-e portrait format: 36 x 26,5 cm.
Handwritten note in ink on the back cover stating:
"album by Hiroshige brush name Kondo Jinbei born in Japan Yedo 1797, died in 1858 (fireman) at 61 years old.
View of Fuji (nipon). Pupil of Outauaga itshirusai Toyohiro itshirusai" (Outagawa Ichiryusai Toyohiro)
Detailed condition report upon request.
Provenance:
An illustrated table of contents precedes the thirty prints (out of thirty-six) depicting various views of Mount Fuji surrounded by lakes, waterfalls, bridges, fields, flowering trees, or urban scenes. Each composition highlights a different view of this famous mountain which appears at different times of the day, according to the seasons and under a sky that is sometimes blue, sometimes rainy. The numerous figures in the prints are reminiscent of an anthill. The authenticity and spontaneity of these humans working on their daily tasks remind us of the Chinese tradition where man, this part of the whole, has an inalienable place.
These views of Mount Fuji perfectly illustrate the end of the 19th century when the Japanese found the freedom to travel from region to region and thus discover the beauty of their country. Hiroshige took advantage of this joyous period to walk along the paths leading to Fuji, thus perceiving its relief and capturing its light and colors. He engraved views that were both realistic and naturalistic but also very poetic.
He had already published a series of views of Mount Fuji in 1852 in a landscape format (chuban tate-e). Our edition dated 1858, published by Tsutaya Kichizo (Tsutaya Kichibei) is modern by its portrait format (oban tate-e). The composition of the images is original and the intensive use of the "bokashi" technique produces subtle effects of gradations offering a real depth to the perspectives. The stylization of the forms sometimes prefigures Cézanne.
Our 30 prints decorated with Mount Fuji are perfectly in line with the ukiyo-e movement (images of the floating world) which strives to oppose the eternal and the ephemeral. The unchanging mountain rises in the heart of landscapes changing with every angle and every season.
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