Utagawa Yoshiiku: Actor Seki Sanjuro III With Cat 三代目関三十郎

Artist: Ochiai (Utagawa) Yoshiiku (1833-1904)
Title: Actor Seki Sanjuro III With Cat 三代目関三十郎

Series: Portraits as True Likenesses in the Moonlight  真寫月花の姿絵 
Date: 1867

Silhouette portrait of the actor Seki Sanjûrô III holding a cat. We can imagine that the actor was very fond indeed of his feline to have been holding the cat for this portrait, and the cat’s likeness seems very considered. The actor wears his hair in the traditional Edo period hairstyle for men. Above we see the actor in a role where he wears a yukata decorated with the theme of pine branches.

This interesting series was inspired by popular shadow performances, which were performed in front of a sliding door with a bright light behind them, as well as the development of photographs by camera.  Yoshiiku created this series of works that portray the silhouettes of 36 famous actors, comparing them to the 36 Immortal Poets. They seem to have been done from life, with the actors actually sitting for their portraits behind a screen, as this is illustrated in the preface for the series. It is unusual in ukiyo-e to see actors portrayed in a way that may be today considered “realistic”, as features were generally stylized within certain artistic conventions. Above left  we see the actor in a more conventional portrait within a flower-shaped cartouche. A related poem is above, perhaps written or inspired by the actor. 

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Restored binding holes in left extra margin.

Dimensions: ôban (36.3 x 23 cm)  Publisher: Maruya Tokuzo
Literature:  The Brooklyn Museum and the MFA both have this work in their collections. Nagata et al, The New York and New Jersey Ukiyo-e Collection (exh. cat., 1997), #100.

Signature: Chōkarō Yoshiiku sha 朝霞楼芳幾写

SKU: YII031