Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

Port Townsend, Washington

UTAGAWA KUNISADA II

(1823-1880)

二代歌川国貞

うたがわくにさだ

 Subject: Actor as Ume no Yoshibei

梅由兵衛

うめよしべえ

Date: 1862, 12th Month

Publisher: Ōtaya Takichi

太田屋多吉
おおたや.たきち

  Print Size: 13 7/8" x 9 3/8"

 $110.00

SOLD!

THANKS H!

THE QUESTION IS:

"WOULD VINCENT VAN GOGH BUY THIS PRINT

IF THE PRICE WERE RIGHT?"

Of course there is no way of knowing for sure. In fact, this is really a sort of silly question that probably irritates a lot of purists. But I have asked it because of something I discovered when I bought this print. There is another one which goes with it in the Vincent Van Gogh Museum and is illustrated in their catalogue of Japanese prints (illus. #311, p. 225). These are the only two I have ever seen and while they might make up two thirds of a triptych it is also possible that there were five in the series. We will only know when more examples have been discovered.

On another page in this site I discussed the collection of Japanese prints amassed by Vincent and his brother Theo. "Van Gogh and this brother Theo also had a passion for ukiyo-e. Although we can't be sure that Vincent Van Gogh was the particular owner of [the print referenced above] we don't know that he wasn't. According to Ronald de Leeuw, the director of the Van Gogh Museum 'The collection of 474 Japanese prints in the...museum is for the most part owned by the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation and hails from the joint estate of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh. Theo's son, Ir Dr Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890-1978), later expanded the collection somewhat. It is no longer possible to find out exactly which prints were added by him to the group.' "

Soooo.......assuming that Vincent had owned the one in the museum dedicated to him it is very possible that he would have bought this one too if the price had been right and if the opportunity had presented itself. Naturally all of that would still have depended on how absinthe-minded he was at the time. Your guess is as good as mine.

SEALS

Signature (on right):

Kunisada ga

Date Seal (top left):

1862, 12th Month

Publisher Seal (bottom left):

Ōtaya Takichi

WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN

YOU SEE A MAN WEARING A TOGA?