Katsukawa Shunko (Attributed to): Ichikawa Danjuro Holding Teabowl and Fan (Sold)

Artist: Katsukawa Shunsho (1743-1812) (attributed to)
Title: The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V Holding Fan and Teabowl
Date: Ca. 1780

The kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro V (1741-1806) stands in a confident pose. In his right hand he holds an open fan, and in his left he holds a large ceramic teabowl held atop a cloth in his open palm. His costume bears the concentric squares that signify the crest of the Danjuro family of actors. There is a print by Katsukawa Shunko in the Art Institute of Chicago collection that shows Danjuro V holding a similar teabowl in his right hand. They attribute the character he is playing as Kajiwara Heiji from the play Hiragana Seisuiki, performed at the Morita Theater in 1776, although this is not a firm attribution. (Reference number 1925.2481) No other examples of this design have been found.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. The fugitive dayflower blue pigment is still extant. Dimensions: hosoban 31.9 x 14.8 cm
Signature: Unsigned

SKU: KTW012