HOKUSAI, KATSUSHIKA (1760-1849)

"Fujiwara – the pearls of ebb and flow and the coiled scythe of Fujiwara" (c.1822)
Rare original woodblock print (surimono)
21.5 x 18.5cm
Signed in print upper right
*private collection, Sydney
 
Hokusai is arguably Japan's greatest artist. He is best known for his iconic woodblock print "The Great Wave Of Kanagawa" (1833); the most recognised and reproduced Asian art image in world. It is synonymous with Japanese Art. At Belle Epoque, we have sold many posthumous woodblock prints, including early versions of "The Great Wave", however this original woodblock print is one of the most important artworks in the Belle Epoque Collection. Surimonos were privately commissioned for special occasions such as the New Year, in essense a form of invitation. Surimono literally means "printed thing". Being produced in small numbers for a mostly educated audience of literati, surimono were often more experimental in subject matter and treatment, and extravagant in printing technique, than commercial prints.