Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

1786-1865

One Hundred Beauties from Famous Places in Edo: Aoisaka
(Edo meisho hyakunin bijo: Aoisaka)

signed Toyokuni ga within artist's toshidama seal-shaped cartouche, with publisher's mark of Joshuya Kinzo, censor's aratame seal and date seal Mi juichi (year of the snake [1857], 11th month)

oban tate-e 14 5/8 by 10 in., 37.2 by 25.4 cm

This series was done collaboratively between Kunisada, who designed the beautiful women in the foreground, and his pupil Utagawa Kunihisa II (1832-1891), who tended to design the inset landscape cartouches. As the inset cartouche in this print is unsigned, it may be designed by Kunisada himself.

The landscape depicts the overflow from Tameike Pond falling into the city's outer moat, from which it would head into the bay beside Hama Palace. This lovely spot was unfortunately levelled in the mid-1880s, after the draining of the pond made the waterway unnecessary.

References:
Henry D. Smith II, Hiroshige: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986, cat. no. 113 (for location)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), from the Bigelow Collection, accession nos. 11.15302, 11.42256

(inv. no. 10-2820)

price: $950