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ITŌ SHINSUI (1898-1972) Taisho era (1912-1926), dated 1916 image 1
ITŌ SHINSUI (1898-1972) Taisho era (1912-1926), dated 1916 image 2
Lot 507

ITŌ SHINSUI (1898-1972)
Taisho era (1912-1926), dated 1916

A Private Collection of Japanese Prints and Watercolors
18 September 2024, 10:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$76,700 inc. premium

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ITŌ SHINSUI (1898-1972)

Taisho era (1912-1926), dated 1916
A large woodblock print titled Taikyō (Before the Mirror), signed Shinsui and sealed Tatsumi, and sealed Watanabe, published by Watanabe Shōzaburō, numbered on the verso with a handwritten inscription Ippyaku mai kagiri surisatsu no uchi yonjuyonban (Number 44 of limited printing of 100), the inscription sealed Watanabe
17 1/2 x 11 1/4in (44.4 x 28.6cm)

Footnotes

Itō Shinsui's first major print, Taikyō (Before the Mirror, or the "Red Geisha"), appeared in 1916 when he was 18 years old, not long after his talent was first spotted by the legendary publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885-1962). It shows a young woman wearing a deep red silk kimono under-robe lined with kanoko shibori (tie-dyeing yielding a spotted "deer dappling"), its turned-back collar offering the viewer a glimpse of the nape of her neck, traditionally a site of intense erotic interest. She gazes to the right, checking her coiffure in an unseen mirror which gives the image its title. Clearly conscious of similar ōkubi ("large head") prints featuring mirrors by traditional masters such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Shinsui breaks new ground thanks to this daring omission, yet reverts to tradition in his use of a natural vegetable dye, instead of the harsh synthetic aniline that was popular in his time, overprinting the robe multiple times to achieve a rich crimson color—an effect only seen in the finest impressions of this famous design. Watanabe's printers also lavished great care on the characteristic speckled gray background texture that makes a striking contrast with the red garment, jet-black hair, and white skin. Examples of this print are in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago.

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OKAMOTO RYŌZAN FOR THE YASUDA COMPANY A Small Ceramic Vase and Cover Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1900
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