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Kawanabe KYOSAI (1831 - 1889)		Courtesans on a vessel - Preparatory drawing for a fan print ('uchiwa-e')
		Preparatory brush drawing; sumi (black ink) on thin paper. Date:                   c. 1850s Size of sheet:      c. 24 x 33.5 cms / c. 9 3/4" x 13 1/8" Condition: Very good general condition, minor paper defect at the lower left corner, not affecting the design itself; mounted on backing paper. Ref. no.: # S-1268 Price:  € 3,250.00

The preparatory drawing depicts a group of courtesans and her attendants on a pleasure boat, The vessel's bow has the form of a large swan. - Preparatory drawing for a fan print ('uchiwa-e') KYOSAI, as a child, was a pupil of Utagawa KUNIYOSHI, whose influence is clearly visible in this early work. - Drawings by Kyosai are exremely rare, most of which are now in the collection of the Kyosai Memorial Museum in Japan. Two more preliminary drawings for fan prints, one by by KYOSAI, and another by KUNIYOSHI, are shown in this gallery section ('previous page' button) , as well. Reference:    For a similar drawing by the artist, see: Gerhard Schack, Japanische Handzeichnungen ('Japanese brush drawings'), Hamburg, 1975, cat. no. 66-67, a.o.. Provenance:    Our drawing, possibly, is from the collection of the first German consul to Japan (see: Kruml, cat. 25)

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