Kunichika: Woman Sewing with Playful Cat (Published) (SOLD)

Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900)
Title: Eight pm, gogo hachiju
Series: Scenes of the Twenty-four Hours, A Pictorial Comparison  Date: 1891

A beauty pauses her sewing, surprised by her pet cat, who seems to be clawing at her piece of red fabric. She is perhaps prepared to scold her pet by the expression on her face, which contrasts with the look of mischievous delight on the cat’s face. The cat features blindprinting on its fur, and pink outlines around its features and yellow eyes. We see a standing lantern and lacquered pincushion stand at left, and in the cartouche are pictured scissors, a ruler and red thread. The lantern is even casting a subtle glow of light which may be seen as a soft pink line at lower left. The poem in the inset cartouche that is in the shape of a western pocket watch reads: Knitting her brow/her shoulders ache/–needlework. The homonym for hachiji (8 o-clock) is included in the expression hach no ji wo [o] yosete, or “knitting ones brow”, as mentioned in the poem. This exact print was published full page in the book “A courtesan’s day: hour by hour”, page 160, number 20. This is “8 pm”, Gogo hachiju.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Unbacked and untrimmed; mint. With luxurious printing effects, including lacquer-imitating, mica highlights and blindprinting.

Dimensions: ôban 38 x 25 cm Signature: Toyoharu Kunichika hitsu

Publisher: Fukada Kumajiro

Literature: Seigle, Cecilia Segawa, Tim Clark, Alfred Marks, and Amy Reigle Newland. A Courtesan’s Day: Hour by Hour, Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2004, page 160, number 20 (this exact print is pictured).

SKU: KCA134