Kunisada: Sawamura Tanosuke III as Princess Yaegaki (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864)
Title: Sawamura Tanosuke III as Princess Yaegaki
Date: 1860

The kabuki actor Sawamura Tanosuke III as Nagao’s Daughter (Nago no sokujo), Princess Yaegaki, presumably from the play “Honcho Nijushiko.” This story revolves around the feuding Takeda and Uesugi families; Princess Yaegaki has fallen in love with the heir of the rival clan, Shakespeare-style. This must be the famous scene where she crosses a frozen lake, aided by the fox spirit and carrying an heirloom magical helmet. Kunisada here has chosen an extreme closeup, or okubi-e (”big head”) portrait, to better show the actor’s nuanced embodiment of the character. These portraits are considered some of Kunisada’s finest works of his late career. 

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban (35.2 x 24.5 cm)
Signature: Toyokuni ga
Publisher: Ebisuya Shoshichi (Kinshodo)
Literature: MFA; Schaap, Kunisada (exh. cat., 2016), p. 166, #25; Waseda University Theatre Museum, acquisition no. 006-2107.

SKU: KUS462