Kiyochika: Fan Print of Dutch Man Lighting Pipe

Artist: Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915)
Title: Uchiwa-e (Fan Print) Of a Dutch (?) man lighting a pipe while a woman looks on

A western man wearing a cap lights his tobacco pipe, a red-haired younger woman at his side. It is in the shape of an uchiwa, or fan, and would have been cut out and pasted on an actual summer fan. The keyblock, such as it is, has been created in an extremely loose sketching style, as if drawn by a western pen. Also unusual are the treatment of shadows and use of multiple blocks to give depth (chiarascoro), all borrowed from the west. The western subject and setting are also unique to this print. This seems like an advertisement for tobacco to this dealer, also as there is no publisher or date information. Perhaps the verso of the fan would bear the specific information for the brand. The intense focus of both the man and the pretty woman on the lighting of the pipe lends weight to this idea. In the Meiji period, advertising on these summer fans became quite popular. Extremely scarce.

Condition: Excellent impression and color. Very good condition. Barely visible center fold. With a fine layer of deluxe mica atop the entire printing surface.
Dimensions: 23 x  24.2 cm
Signature: Shinsei (?) Kiyochika

SKU: KYC497S