国芳・近江八景、1833年の春画シリーズで、クールベの『世界の起源』に関連する作品・第2枚 - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)
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Description from the seller
** The series that inspired Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du monde (1866, Musée d'Orsay) **
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1797–1861), unsigned, as is usual for shunga
Series: Ōmi hakkei 遇見八景 ("Eight Views of Lovers' Meetings"), also written 逢見八景
Sheet: no. 2 (其二, marked on the fan inset)
Date: 1833 (Tenpō 4)
Reference: Shirakura Yoshihiko, Japanese Shunga of Kuniyoshi (Heibonsha, 2012), p. 82
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), nishiki-e
Format: Ōban yoko-e, approx. 25 × 36 cm, with central fold
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Paper & condition
Good colours and a good impression. There is soiling towards the centre and along the margins. A professional cleaning can improve the composition. The sheet has a central fold, which is found on all known impressions of this series. The print carries an album backing. Fair condition overall. Please check the images carefully!
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The Scene
The Eight Views of Ōmi, eight famous scenes around Lake Biwa, was one of the most popular themes in Edo-period prints. It goes back to a set of poems written in 1500 by Prince Konoe Masaie and his son Naomichi, which were themselves inspired by Chinese landscape painting. Kuniyoshi's title keeps the sound of the classic theme but changes the characters. 遇見 means "meeting and seeing", so the famous landscapes become eight meetings of lovers. Each sheet carries a fan-shaped inset landscape printed in blue (aizuri-e).
The blue insets were the latest fashion when the series appeared. Prussian blue, the first synthetic pigment used in Japan, was imported from 1829. It was cheaper than indigo and faded less in light, and the blue-printed aizuri-e that followed have been described as having revolutionised landscape printing. In 1833 Hiroshige was at work on his own landscape set of the Eight Views. Kuniyoshi's shunga parody appeared in the same year.
The series is best known for its place in European art history. Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du monde (1866, Musée d'Orsay) is said to have been inspired by Kuniyoshi's Ōmi hakkei. The scholar Yukiko Oki argues that Courbet very probably saw sheets by Kuniyoshi when he chose the close cropping of the painting in 1866.
Ōmi hakkei is one of Kuniyoshi's early shunga projects, made at the start of the Tenpō era. At that time he was also producing the warrior prints that had made him famous. Kuniyoshi usually published his erotic work unsigned or under playful pseudonyms such as "happy keeper of white cats". Prints from this series are very rare and often hammers in Japan for ~150,000 YEN per sheet.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
** The series that inspired Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du monde (1866, Musée d'Orsay) **
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1797–1861), unsigned, as is usual for shunga
Series: Ōmi hakkei 遇見八景 ("Eight Views of Lovers' Meetings"), also written 逢見八景
Sheet: no. 2 (其二, marked on the fan inset)
Date: 1833 (Tenpō 4)
Reference: Shirakura Yoshihiko, Japanese Shunga of Kuniyoshi (Heibonsha, 2012), p. 82
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), nishiki-e
Format: Ōban yoko-e, approx. 25 × 36 cm, with central fold
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper & condition
Good colours and a good impression. There is soiling towards the centre and along the margins. A professional cleaning can improve the composition. The sheet has a central fold, which is found on all known impressions of this series. The print carries an album backing. Fair condition overall. Please check the images carefully!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Scene
The Eight Views of Ōmi, eight famous scenes around Lake Biwa, was one of the most popular themes in Edo-period prints. It goes back to a set of poems written in 1500 by Prince Konoe Masaie and his son Naomichi, which were themselves inspired by Chinese landscape painting. Kuniyoshi's title keeps the sound of the classic theme but changes the characters. 遇見 means "meeting and seeing", so the famous landscapes become eight meetings of lovers. Each sheet carries a fan-shaped inset landscape printed in blue (aizuri-e).
The blue insets were the latest fashion when the series appeared. Prussian blue, the first synthetic pigment used in Japan, was imported from 1829. It was cheaper than indigo and faded less in light, and the blue-printed aizuri-e that followed have been described as having revolutionised landscape printing. In 1833 Hiroshige was at work on his own landscape set of the Eight Views. Kuniyoshi's shunga parody appeared in the same year.
The series is best known for its place in European art history. Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du monde (1866, Musée d'Orsay) is said to have been inspired by Kuniyoshi's Ōmi hakkei. The scholar Yukiko Oki argues that Courbet very probably saw sheets by Kuniyoshi when he chose the close cropping of the painting in 1866.
Ōmi hakkei is one of Kuniyoshi's early shunga projects, made at the start of the Tenpō era. At that time he was also producing the warrior prints that had made him famous. Kuniyoshi usually published his erotic work unsigned or under playful pseudonyms such as "happy keeper of white cats". Prints from this series are very rare and often hammers in Japan for ~150,000 YEN per sheet.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Details
王朝様式/時代
Edo Period (1600-1868)
原産国
Japan
帰属
Original
作品タイトル
Kuniyoshi · Ōmi hakkei, the 1833 shunga series linked to Courbet's L'Origine du monde · sheet no. 2
コンディション
Fair condition
来歴
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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