Hiroshige & Kunisada - Complete album of 55 prints - "Two Brushes" 53 stations of the Tokaido road - 1854-7 publisher Maruya Kyūshirõ

“A Rare Complete Set of Hiroshige’s "Two-Brushes" edition of “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road”

Sōhitsu gojūsan tsugi - 双筆五十三次 - Utagawa Hiroshige and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Published by Maruya Kyūshirō from 1854-57

Vertical Oban format (37.2 x 25.7)

55 (of 55) prints - complete (no title page)

Condition: Original decorated silk covered boards with some wear. Restored binding and joins between some prints. Occasional small losses and wear to prints. The prints are backed and bound with some trimming of outer border but no losses to the image or seals. Colours, especially the blues and reds, are bright. Some cross over of red inks to opposite page. Album housed in red solander box.

Hiroshige is known as the master of landscape prints and his most famous series, 100 views of Edo, remains one of the most celebrated of all series of Japanese prints. Kunisada was the best known actor print maker of his day - bringing to the masses images of their favourite "Kabuki" actors in vividly drawn and accessible prints.

This series allowed the two artists to bring together their skills to illustrate scenes along the Tokaido road. Each scene depicts a half page landscape by Hiroshige alongside a half page image of characters from the region by Kunisada. Some of the most beautiful prints include those with snow filled backgrounds, deep blue seascapes and views of mount fuji.

Provenance: Berès Gallery Paris - stamp to binding