Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849)
“Octopus
Attacking a Fishman with Dancer and Musicians” (descriptive
title only), 1878, diptych of colour woodblock pints of pages 34 and 35 from
volume 15 in the series of fifteen volumes of Hokusai’s “Manga Jūgohen” (北斎漫画, 十五編), compiled by Katano Tōshirō (片野東四郎編輯) and published in Nagoya by Eirakuya
Tōshirō (永楽屋東四郎)
(fl.1813–1842) (see https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1
& https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1/18 ).
Two individual colour woodblock panels abutted
to create a diptych printed in black, grey and light vermilion ink on fine
washi paper laid upon a support sheet.
Size: (2 abutted sheets) 22.7 x 25.5 cm.
The British Museum offers a description of the
volume in which this print features (vol. 15) as well as a online view of all
the prints on thirty folded sheets (cho): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1979-0305-0-428-14.
Condition: delicate/pale impressions trimmed (so
that they may be abutted) and laid onto a support of archival (millennium
quality) washi paper. The diptych is in a good condition with no tears, holes,
folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing—note that some naturally
occurring darker fibres in the paper are visible.
I am selling this diptych of original colour
woodblock prints by Hokusai of an absolutely bonkers seaside scene featuring a wild
dancer accompanied by two equally wild musicians seemingly oblivious to a
fisherman in the foreground who is being attacked (I prefer to believe “hugged”)
by an big-eyed octopus, for the total cost of AU$264 (currently US$186.93/EUR177.08/GBP1184.76
at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the
world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.
If you are interested in purchasing this amazing
diptych woodblock print by the almost legendary Hokusai, please contact me
(oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make
the payment easy.
