Katsukawa Shun'ei · 18th-century hosoban · Kabuki actor ·...

勝川春英 — KATSUKAWA SHUN'EI (1762–1819) Kabuki Actor in a Samurai Role, identified on the verso as Ichikawa Komazō II (市川高麗蔵) Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), polychrome (nishiki-e) on Japanese washi Date: c. 1785–1795 Signature: Shun'ei ga (春英画), with publisher's mark Format: Hosoban (approx. 31 × 14 cm / 12 × 5.5 in.) CONDITION Fair for a print of this age, with some toning, soiling, some ink transfer and minor repairs. This is an antique work, so please check the images carefully.. The Artist — Katsukawa Shun'ei Shun'ei was one of the leading pupils of Katsukawa Shunshō, whose studio dominated kabuki prints in Edo in the 1770s and 1780s. After Shunshō, Shun'ei became the school's most important actor designer. He was among the first to make large bust portraits of actors (ōkubi-e), a few years before Sharaku. He was also a major designer of sumo prints. Hosoban, the narrow format used here, was the standard format for Katsukawa actor prints. These sheets were often issued as single figures from multi-sheet compositions showing a scene from a current play. The Actor — Ichikawa Komazō II An old inscription on the verso names the actor as Ichikawa Komazō II (1764–1838). He was the son of Matsumoto Kōshirō IV, and in 1801 he took the name Matsumoto Kōshirō V. Under that name he became one of the great villain-role actors of the early 19th century. In the Shun'ei years he was a rising star of the Edo stage, and Shun'ei portrayed him often. Prints of Komazō II by Shun'ei are held by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MFA Boston and the Harvard Art Museums.

Estimate:£211.54

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