Kunisada: Beauties Catching Fireflies at Dusk, from "Sun, Moon and Stars" (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada
Title: Stars, from Sun, Moon and Stars
Series: Sun, Moon and Stars Jitsu getsu hoshi no uchi
Date: ca. 1844

Three Beauties Catching Fireflies on a Summer Evening. Three splendidly dressed beauties relax beautifully on a summer evening next to a riverbank; the beauty on the right holds an uchiwa-e (fan) with an iris design. Their kimonos feature long sleeves and are intricately patterned and stand out against the evening background. From the series “Sun Moon and Stars”, this is “Stars”. The stars are quite obviously the fireflies, which come out at dusk, as seen here.  The Van Gogh Museum has just the center panel of this triptych, indicating that Vincent had purchased it. We also have "Moon" from this series.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Minor notch in paper in lower edge of leftmost print. Unbacked and untrimmed.
Dimensions: ôban triptych (38 x 78 cm)
Signature: Kunisada aratame nisei Toyokuni ga (Kunisada changing his name to the second Toyokuni)

SKU: KUS471