1 / 12

Description

KITAGAWA UTAMARO: A LADY AND CHILD PLAYING WITH A CAT, EX-COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY KITAGAWA UTAMARO: A LADY AND CHILD PLAYING WITH A CAT, EX-COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY By Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806), signed Utamaro hitsu Japan, c. 1803 Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Utamaro hitsu; publisher Iwatoya Kisaburo (Eirindo). Title Warau Kado niwa Fuku kitaru (Fortune Comes to the Home of Those Who Smile), from the series Kodakana tatoe no fushi (Precious Children as the Basis for Proverbs). In this domestic scene, a young woman sits in front of a screen decorated with red birds on a blossoming branch as her little son plays with a cat, teasing the feline with a bow attached to a long string. Image SIZE 36.7 x 25.5 cm, SIZE incl. frame 59.2 x 44.5 cm Condition: Very good condition with wear and light creasing to the edges. Gently mounted on a paper passepartout. Provenance: Sotheby’s, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own – In Love with Japan, 11 September 2023, London, lot 1010 . From the collection of Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, 1946-1991). Freddie Mercury, universally acclaimed singer of the legendary rock band Queen, developed a profound passion for the country of Japan during his first of many visits while on tour in 1975. Six further tours would take him to Japan, before he first came on his own in 1986, touring museums and buying traditional lacquerware. From then on, he delighted in filling his Kensington home with rare and beautiful antiques and fine objects, such as the present woodblock print, and developed substantial academic expertise in the history of Japan’s culture and craft through the ages. He became an enthusiastic cultural advocate, once saying, “I loved it there: the lifestyle, the people, the art. Wonderful!” Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings and is best known for his bijin okubi-e (large-headed pictures of beautiful women) of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects. Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the 1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000 known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame throughout Japan in his lifetime. Museum comparison: A closely related print, from the same series, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6621. A closely related print, from the same series, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6493. A related print depicting a woman and cat is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number JP1672. Auction comparison: Compare a related print, by the same artist and also ex-collection Freddie Mercury, at Sotheby’s, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, In Love with Japan, 11 September 2013, London, lot 1016 ( sold for GBP 13,970). Compare a related print depicting a courtesan and cat, by the same artist, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 April 2018, New York, lot 31 ( sold for USD 37,500).

822 
Aller au lot
<
>

KITAGAWA UTAMARO: A LADY AND CHILD PLAYING WITH A CAT, EX-COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY KITAGAWA UTAMARO: A LADY AND CHILD PLAYING WITH A CAT, EX-COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY By Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806), signed Utamaro hitsu Japan, c. 1803 Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Utamaro hitsu; publisher Iwatoya Kisaburo (Eirindo). Title Warau Kado niwa Fuku kitaru (Fortune Comes to the Home of Those Who Smile), from the series Kodakana tatoe no fushi (Precious Children as the Basis for Proverbs). In this domestic scene, a young woman sits in front of a screen decorated with red birds on a blossoming branch as her little son plays with a cat, teasing the feline with a bow attached to a long string. Image SIZE 36.7 x 25.5 cm, SIZE incl. frame 59.2 x 44.5 cm Condition: Very good condition with wear and light creasing to the edges. Gently mounted on a paper passepartout. Provenance: Sotheby’s, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own – In Love with Japan, 11 September 2023, London, lot 1010 . From the collection of Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, 1946-1991). Freddie Mercury, universally acclaimed singer of the legendary rock band Queen, developed a profound passion for the country of Japan during his first of many visits while on tour in 1975. Six further tours would take him to Japan, before he first came on his own in 1986, touring museums and buying traditional lacquerware. From then on, he delighted in filling his Kensington home with rare and beautiful antiques and fine objects, such as the present woodblock print, and developed substantial academic expertise in the history of Japan’s culture and craft through the ages. He became an enthusiastic cultural advocate, once saying, “I loved it there: the lifestyle, the people, the art. Wonderful!” Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings and is best known for his bijin okubi-e (large-headed pictures of beautiful women) of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects. Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the 1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000 known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame throughout Japan in his lifetime. Museum comparison: A closely related print, from the same series, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6621. A closely related print, from the same series, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6493. A related print depicting a woman and cat is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number JP1672. Auction comparison: Compare a related print, by the same artist and also ex-collection Freddie Mercury, at Sotheby’s, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, In Love with Japan, 11 September 2013, London, lot 1016 ( sold for GBP 13,970). Compare a related print depicting a courtesan and cat, by the same artist, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 April 2018, New York, lot 31 ( sold for USD 37,500).

Estimation 6 000 - 12 000 EUR
Mise à prix 6 000 EUR

* Hors frais de vente.
Reportez vous aux conditions de vente pour calculer le montant des frais.

Frais de vente : 30 %
Déposer un ordre
S'inscrire à la vente

En vente le Wednesday 04 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Autriche
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
Voir le catalogue Consulter les CGV Infos vente

Livraison à
Modifier votre adresse de livraison
La livraison est optionnelle.
Vous pouvez recourir au transporteur de votre choix.
Le prix indiqué n’inclut ni le prix du lot, ni les frais de la maison de vente.