Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

Utagawa Kunisada II

二代歌川国貞

にだい.うたがわくにさだ

1823-1880

Series: Hakkenden Inu no Sōshi no Uchi

八犬伝犬の草紙の之内

はっけんでんいぬのそうしのうち

Subject: Inue Shinbee Jin

犬江親兵衛仁

いぬえしんべいじん

Date: 9th Month, 1852

Kaei 5

嘉永5年

Size: 14 1/2" x 9 3/4"

Publisher: Unidentified

Illustrated:

Another copy of this print is shown on line at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

web site. It is from the William Sturgis Bigelow Collection -
accession number 11.39137

$152.50

SOLD!

THANKS D!

AN EGREGIOUS MISTAKE?

 I had listed this print as a Toyokuni III although it had a "Kunisada ga" signature and was dated 1852. Kunisada took the name Toyokuni II in the early 1840s even though there had already been a recognized artist with that name. Kunisada's family continued to think of him as "the second" Toyokuni, but everyone else has come to refer to him as Toyokuni III. If that weren't confusing enough one of Kunisada's students changed his name to Kunisada II. Is your head swimming yet? Mine is.

The print on this page is illustrated in one museum catalogue as a Toyokuni III.* However, most dealers --- especially those in Japan --- feel that the series this print is from is by Kunisada II. I accept their conclusions. I think they know better.

One other point: There were rare occurrences in the early 1850s where Toyokuni III did sign certain prints with his Kunisada signature. But this did not happen here. I hope you will excuse my mistake this time. I'll double my efforts to check everything in advance from now on.**

*Catalogue of Japanese Art in the Náprstek Museum, The International Research Center for Japanese Studies: Nichibunken Japanese Studies Series 4, n.d., p. 66, cat. #390.

**I once studied for a number of years with a highly respected scholar who was also the director of a major museum. He always said that a curator who never made a mistake was either a liar or a fool.

Above is a similarly shaped cartouche from an inset on a Kuniyoshi Tokaido road series.

TWO EDITIONS?

Rarely does a collector get an opportunity to see two variant editions of the same print. We know that they exist. There are many graphic examples in books showing these especially for the prints of Hiroshige and Hokusai. But there is very little information about other artists. Variants tell us about the popularity of particular images. Market forces would normally determine whether or not to publish a second or third or even later edition. Why bother if the demand had dried up or the competition was too stiff?

Above left is a detail from the print featured on this page. The detail on the right is obviously from a different edition. Establishing which was the earlier... Now that is another matter!