Color woodcut, ink, paper, 40x27 cm, artist's signature
A charming portrait of the courtesan Yosooi of Matsuba, smiling cheerfully and looking over her shoulder. She is wearing a striking black top robe with a lacquered box pattern over a red kimono with a cherry blossom print. Her hair is pulled back in a large, sleek bun decorated with hair clips and a translucent comb.
Toyokuni Utagawa - Japanese painter working in the ukiyo-e style. He studied in Edo with Toyoharu Utagawa. He was involved in painting, woodcutting and book illustration. He became known primarily as the author of paintings depicting kabuki theater actors. He portrayed his characters in expressive, dramatic poses, sometimes depicting a pair of actors acting simultaneously on stage in interaction. He also created images of beautiful women. His students included Toyokuni II, Toyokuni III, Kunimasa, Kunitora and Kunisada.
Ukiyo-e woodcuts have been printed several times since the Edo period, always using the traditional method. Japan's top publishers followed the same rigorous standards as 19th century publishers. In the 1950s and 1970s, as interest in Edo period woodcuts increased again, the reissue of prints by great masters from the golden age of Ukiyo-e began. Some of the world's finest printmakers and carvers were employed for this purpose. The resulting works are among the highest quality editions ever produced.
![Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769 - 1825), Plansza z Shikitei Sanba’s Ehon Imayo Sugata (Picture Book of the Modern Forms and Figures), 1802 [dyptyk]](https://img1.one.bid/img/8771/2639854_1w.webp?1761412538)
