De Bry Rare Books
“Chasing mosquitos” Early 19th Century Japanese Preparatory drawing or Shita-e/Gako
“Chasing mosquitos” Early 19th Century Japanese Preparatory drawing or Shita-e/Gako
“Chasing mosquitos”
Early 19th Century Japanese Preparatory drawing or Shita-e/Gako
Anonymous Utagawa school - possibly Hokuba 1771-1844
Oban tate-e 34 x 26cm
Drawn in Chinese Ink – not signed
Marks to the corners and repair at centre.
Written in Japanese “ The husband amuses himself / saying that he will / burn the mosquitos”
In this image, a couple are shown on a futon beneath a mosquito net. Both are smiling, with the man holding incense in one hand and an “Uchiwa” or fan, in the other. Two wooden Hako-makura (pillows) are at the bottom right to the image. The whole scene is shown in a cloud suggesting a dream like scene, with the semicircle at the top of the composition suggesting that this may be a design for a fan. Further preparatory drawings are shown on the back of the image.