Hokusai 北斎: Silver Hair Ornaments and Shibori Tie-dye Surimono

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai 北斎 (1760-1849)
Title: Silver Hair Ornaments and Shibori Tie-Dye Surimono  Date: ca. early 1820s

Silver hairpins in the shape of intertwined cranes are shown partially wrapped in their folded paper wrappers. Beneath them we see a third hairpin in the shape of plum blossom clusters; this hairpin lies in its translucent tissue, and the printers have effectively conveyed this near-impossible visual overlay. Mounding like mini-mountains in the background are puckered silk tie-dyed fabric that was used to create volume in complex hairstyles. This tie-dye process is known as kanoko shibori, and each pucker is the result of a carefully wrapped string that was applied before immersion in the dye bath. These luxurious hair ornaments would have been worn by high-ranking courtesans and their attendants, especially during the New Year celebrations.

The poems have been translated by Carpenter as follows:

“As the gate is decked out/ with bamboo and pine,/ a young maiden wears jewelled hairpins/ bright as the spring sun.” --Seiyoen Kagehiro

“To her coiffure, entwined/ with Tatsuta’s red leaves,/ my little sister/ attaches a flowery array/ of springtime spangles.” --Rakuseian (Note that “my little sister” was an affectionate term for apprentice courtesans as used by patrons.)

As noted in “The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of Surimono” (p. 136), this is an extremely rare original, first edition design, seen most often in its Meiji (and later) facsimile copies. The Frank Lloyd Wright collection example has somewhat different coloration; instead of the green in the fabric, purple colorant was employed. The coloration in this example would seem to align more with the reference to the red maple leaves of Tatsuta River that are referenced in the poem. This example also has more of a silver color in the pins, as opposed to the bronze hue in other examples. Provenance: Adolph Stoclet (1871-1949), Brussuls Belgium. His posthumous sale; Sotheby’s London, June 8, 2004, lot 451.

Condition: Excellent impression; very good color and condition. Some smudges of metallic pigment and surface soil, and a crease lower right.

References: Mirviss, The Frank Lloyd Wright collection of Surimono, page 136, number 36.  See MFA Boston Collection, Worcester Art Museum collections. 

Dimensions: shikishiban 21.7 x 18 cm
Signature: Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu 北斎改為一筆

SKU: SUR075