Ader
203
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Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), ‘The Snake and the Melons’, proba…
See original version (French)
203
-
Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), ‘The Snake and the Melons’, proba…
See original version (French)
Estimate €200 - €300
Voluntary lot
Description
Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), ‘The Snake and the Melons’, probably a later print, Japan, Meiji period, c. 1890–1900
After the Chomonju (???), from the Washo kurabe series (????? – ‘Comparison of Japanese Writings/Books’). Original composition from the Edo period, circa 1821–1822; surimono, nishiki-e, polychrome woodblock print with dry embossing (karazuri), shikishiban format. A print depicting a large snake coiled around two melons, placed beside a small wooden box. The work belongs to the Washo kurabe series, dedicated to classical works of Japanese literature, and here illustrates the Kokon Chomonju (????? – ‘Collection of Ancient and Modern Anecdotes’), a compilation of anecdotes put together by Tachibana no Narisue in 1254. The subject refers to an anecdote in which melons presented to Fujiwara no Michinaga are found to contain a snake. The original composition is now definitively attributed to Totoya Hokkei (????, 1780–1850), an artist of the Hokusai school, and is dated to around 1821–1822. Here, the print has been falsely attributed to Hokusai and bears a spurious signature.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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