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Utagawa HIROSHIGE II (1829 -69)

Parrot, sparrow and a small bird - Finished drawing for three tanzaku-sized bird & flower prints -

(also shown in the  NATURE PRINTS section)

black ink ('sumi') on paper. Signed:                            Shigenobu Date seal:                        Snake 8 (8th month, 1857) Publisher's mark:          Yamaguchi-ya Tobei Censor's seal:                 aratame Size:                                 3 x tanzaku (c. 34 x 23 cms / c. 13 3/8" x 9", all over) Condition: Very good; laid down on thin paper. - VERY RARE uncut triple-tanzaku-sized hanshita-e! This drawing was formerly part of the following three, renowned and well documented, collections: - HAPPER collection, Sotheby's London sale, June 1909; cat. no. 378, pl. XXIII - F. LOEWENSTEIN collection (author of 'Die Handzeichnungen der         japanischen Holzschnittmeister', Plauen, 1922; pl. XXX) - G. PULVERER collection, Lempertz auction, Cologne, Dec. 2000, lot/ill. no. 100. ref. no.: # S-541073 Price:  € 7,500.00

A finsihed preparatory drawing (hanshita-e) for a sheet of three bird-and-flower (kacho-e) subjects published by Yamaguchi-ya Tobei. The sheet had been submitted to the government censors as the stamped aratame ('approved') seal in the center panel shows. In addition, each panel carries the oval date seal (reading: "eighth month, year of the snake" = 8/1857). This final drawing was ready to be handed over to the block carvers. If the design actually had been used for the carving process it would not have survived. Instead, another drawing must have been prepared for the printer since a printed version of the design at right is known.

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