Hirosada: Actor as Lion Dancer with Peony Costume (SOLD)

Artist: Konishi (Gosotei) Hirosada 五綜亭広貞 (ca. 1810-1864)
Date: 1850

Bold design of a kabuki actor wearing a lion mask headdress and robe decorated with bronze medallions and red peony flowers. This costume is one that would have been worn in the classic dance-drama Shakkyô.  Shakkyô was originally a Noh play, and the story involves a traveling priest who falls asleep beside a miraculous Stone Bridge (Shakkyô) that leads to Manjushri’s Pure Land and dreams of a lion dancing amidst peonies. Lions are considered messengers of the bodhisattva Manjushri (Monju Bosatsu). The lion dance then appeared in kabuki prints in the 18th century.

The American artist Michael Knigin (1942-2011) created a lithograph “after” this work in 1979, with the New York City skyline implanted  behind the figure. This artwork is of course a very scarce example of the original print from ca. 1850 by Hirosada. The signature has been printed with a shaded black/grey atop a deep gold/bronze background. The deep blue in this artwork is made up of ground mineral, perhaps lapis lazuli. The nose of the actor also includes blindprinting to create dimension. These Osaka-printed works are known for their surimono-like printing–this work has metallic pigments and embossing, feats of printing on a level of expertise that has been lost to time. There is the number “Three” at bottom left, indicating that this was probably the left hand portion of a three-part work.

Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. With a very light backing and handwritten pencil notes in Japanese, verso.

Dimensions: 24.7 x 17.5 cm (chuban)

SKU: OSA058