Posted by Lester M. Levy MD on April 24, 1998 at 12:18:03:
In Reply to: Toshikata's 36 immortal beauties series posted by Billie T. on April 24, 1998 at 11:05:35:
: Sorry about all the repeats; bear with me, I am still working on how this message board works!?!? My print has the 5 Kanji characters. The first 3 are just as you described. There are two ladies (one has her face showing, the other has her hat covering her face, except for her lips). They are admiring blue and purple flowers - maybe iris or orchids. There is a person in the background and bonzi tree at the top. This picture is attached to a piece of paper that has the word GENUINE stamped on it along with some characters and written in cursive: "By Toshikata. Printed in 1894". Any source on its worth? Any source on viewing any of his other works? Thank you.
I have a computer picture (not the original) that seems to
match your description. The lady with the hat is
on the left, the lady with visible face is just to
the left of the midline. The bed of flowers is in
the lower right. What you describe as a bonzai plant
is growing on a green hill in the upper right. The
distant person is between the plant and the flowers.
The red roundish seal is in the lower left corner.
At the auction from which I downloaded the image,
the sales price was $70 plus commission for a copy
from the deluxe edition with mica and metallic pigments.
Although this artist made very attractive prints,
there is little interest commercially. I guess his
work is considered derivative rather than original.
From the little I've been able to read on him, he
is reported to have been Yoshitoshi's favorite
student, and to have received Yoshitoshi's seals
at the death of the latter. He, together with other
students, apparently helped complete many of
Yoshitoshi's prints, not uncommon in the Utagawa
school, I understand.