Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
A traveller with his bundle over his shoulder is approached by two women in front of an inn. The busy street in the town of Ôtsu leads down to Lake Biwa, which can be seen in the background.
Title: Ôtsu
Series: Gojûsan tsugi (53 stations), the so-called "Jinbutsu (o. Jimbutsu)-Tôkaidô".
Publisher: (Murataya Ichigorô, Muraichi, Edo)
Date: 1851/52
Size: Vertical Chûban, 21,7 x 16,5 cm (image)
Very good impression with very good and fresh colours. Unbacked, with good margins, as usuallly a little bit narrower at right. A little bit fingerstained at lower margin, bottom right corner a little bit bevelled, with tiny rest of adhesive tape, some small binding holes along the left margin. Faint stain in the sky. Overall very good condition. Here the 54th station within this charming and surprisingly rarely (especially in fresh colours) seen-series, which is commonly known as "Jinbutsu-Tôkaidô" (Figure Tokaido) or, after the publisher, "Muraichi-Tôkaidô". Since in this series two images were printed on one sheet of paper, many sheets do not bear any signature, censorship or publisher's marks (as here). Cf. Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) 1966.314; MFA Boston 06.1558; Honolulu Museum of Art Michener Coll. 24245; Chazen Museum of Art 1980.1062b; Norton Simon Museum P.1967.27.074ab; National Diet Library (NDL), DOI 10.11501/2541077 (the whole series).
sold