<b>KAGAMIJISHI</b>Ito Shinsui1950<b>SOLD</b></em>
ARTIST: Ito Shinsui (1898-1972)
TITLE: Kagamijishi
MEDIUM: Woodblock
DATE: 1950
DIMENSIONS: 14 x 18 inches
PUBLISHER: Watanabe; publisher’s square “gift seal” at lower right corner
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Silver mica background
LITERATURE: Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All the Woodblock Prints, 1992, pl.125
SOLD
ARTIST: Ito Shinsui (1898-1972)
TITLE: Kagamijishi
MEDIUM: Woodblock
DATE: 1950
DIMENSIONS: 14 x 18 inches
PUBLISHER: Watanabe; publisher’s square “gift seal” at lower right corner
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Silver mica background
LITERATURE: Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All the Woodblock Prints, 1992, pl.125
SOLD
ARTIST: Ito Shinsui (1898-1972)
TITLE: Kagamijishi
MEDIUM: Woodblock
DATE: 1950
DIMENSIONS: 14 x 18 inches
PUBLISHER: Watanabe; publisher’s square “gift seal” at lower right corner
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Silver mica background
LITERATURE: Tadasu Watanabe, Ito Shinsui: All the Woodblock Prints, 1992, pl.125
SOLD
Details
Dragon Dance is part of Ito Shinsui's ambitious double-oban-sized postwar designs. In this work, a beauty is performing a traditional dance, "Kagamijishi," holding a lion's head. This stunning figure is dressed in an exquisite kimono showcasing an intricate pattern that boasts extensive use of gauffrage, or embossing. Her head is downcast as her arm lifts the lion’s head in a graceful counterbalance unifying the composition.
Connoisseur's Note
Ito Shinsui's post-war bijin-ga are a sweet spot of value for collectors, as they are priced significantly less than his pre-war prints and in stark contrast to the small fortunes his pre-earthquake designs demand. Given the larger scale, these postwar designs show quite well in a contemporary setting and often contain more deluxe printing effects such as embossing, mica, and bokashi, or color gradation, as is the case with this design.
