Kitagawa Utamaro
Utamakura (Poem Of The Pillow)
Found at
Christies,
New York
Japanese & Korean Art, Lot 611
24. Mar - 24. Mar 2010
Japanese & Korean Art, Lot 611
24. Mar - 24. Mar 2010
Estimate: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Description
Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806)
Utamakura (Poem of the Pillow)
THE COMPLETE SET WITH TEXT AND ORIGINAL COVERS, first edition, twelve erotic prints in one volume, with preface and 2 double-pages of end text, preface dated yatsu no hatsuharu (first month, 1788), published by Tsutaya Juzaburo, in original paper covers with title slip inscribed in ink--good impressions, generally good color though some pigments faded, embellishments of gauffrage and mica, some margins slightly soiled and stained
Illustrations:
1. Abalone diver raped by scaly river monster (kappa) as her companion looks on in horror and fascination
2. Woman discovering another woman's love letter hidden in the robe of her young lover
3. Lovers beside a standing lantern
4. Lovers in front of plum blossom and bamboo-decorated screen
5. Maid from a samurai mansion with her lover
6. Kept mistress with a young lover beside a chrysanthemum-decorated screen -
Utamakura (Poem of the Pillow)
THE COMPLETE SET WITH TEXT AND ORIGINAL COVERS, first edition, twelve erotic prints in one volume, with preface and 2 double-pages of end text, preface dated yatsu no hatsuharu (first month, 1788), published by Tsutaya Juzaburo, in original paper covers with title slip inscribed in ink--good impressions, generally good color though some pigments faded, embellishments of gauffrage and mica, some margins slightly soiled and stained
Illustrations:
1. Abalone diver raped by scaly river monster (kappa) as her companion looks on in horror and fascination
2. Woman discovering another woman's love letter hidden in the robe of her young lover
3. Lovers beside a standing lantern
4. Lovers in front of plum blossom and bamboo-decorated screen
5. Maid from a samurai mansion with her lover
6. Kept mistress with a young lover beside a chrysanthemum-decorated screen -
Upper estimate price exceeded by more than 100%
This artwork by Kitagawa Utamaro achieved an unexpectedly high price at Christies in New York in March 2010. In the Japanese & Korean Art auction, the work Utamakura (Poem Of The Pillow) sold for USD 338,500.00 (€ 250,258.76) - well above the upper estimate of USD 150,000.00. Despite this good result, it is not the highest hammer price for an artwork by Kitagawa Utamaro; that achieved among the auctions we observed the lot L'amour évident (Arawaruru koi), portrait en buste (okubi-e) d'une jeune femme s'arrangeant une épingle à cheveux sur fond micacé, de la série Anthologie de poèmes: la section de l'amour, (Kasen koi no bu sold at auction in May 2018 with the realized price of EUR 381,000.00.
Oberer Schätzpreis um mehr als 100% übertroffen
Dieses Kunstwerk von Kitagawa Utamaro erzielte im März 2010 bei Christies in New York einen unerwartet hohen Preis. In der Auktion Japanese & Korean Art wurde die Arbeit Utamakura (Poem Of The Pillow) für USD 338.500,00 (€ 250.258,76) versteigert – und damit weit über dem oberen Schätzpreis von USD 150.000,00. Trotz des guten Ergebnisses ist dies nicht der höchste Zuschlag für ein Kunstwerk von Kitagawa Utamaro; den erzielte unter den von uns beobachteten Auktionen die Arbeit L'amour évident (Arawaruru koi), portrait en buste (okubi-e) d'une jeune femme s'arrangeant une épingle à cheveux sur fond micacé, de la série Anthologie de poèmes: la section de l'amour, (Kasen koi no bu im Mai 2018 mit dem Hammerpreis von EUR 381.000,00.
Kitagawa Utamaro - Auction history
Other artists in this auction
