KITAGAWA UTAMARO (1753-1806)

KITAGAWA UTAMARO (1753-1806) Waka Ebisu [The Young God Ebisu] An illustrated kyoka anthology, 1 volume complete, published in 1789, with original dark blue covers painted in gold with horizontal cloud bands, grasses, and young pine, with original title-slip, consisting of 12 sheets, 1 preface sheet signed Shikatsube no Magao shirusu , 5 double-pages of coloured illustrations of various New Year scenes rendered in traditional painting styles comprising: New Year at court ( Kyutei no shogatsu ) in Tosa style A New Year's party in a samurai mansion ( Bukei no shogatsu ) in Kano style Street entertainers performing a shishi dance ( Dai-kagura ) in Ukiyo-e style Delivering New Year gifts in the snow ( Setchu no nenrei ) in Ukiyo-e style A performing monkey at a rich merchant's house ( Saru-hiki ) in Ukiyo-e style Followed by 5 sheets of kyoka poetry, 1 postscript sheet signed by Yadoya no Meshimori and a colophon signed gako Kitagawa Utamaro with seal Mokuen no in and publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo of the Eastern Capital, undated but known to have been published in 1789, exceptionally fine impression and colour with the application of brass dust, small worm-holes towards the final pages but the five illustrated pages are in perfect condition Original handwritten notes attached to inside of front cover, acheté à Hahn, Francfort 29-10-09 Illustrated in Shugo Asano and Timothy Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro , (British Museum Press, London, 1995), no. 465 25.8 x 18.9cm.