Currently not on view
Arashi Rikan II as the Shogun Taro, Nakamura Karoku I as Takiyosa, and Ichikawa Sukejiro in an unidentified role in a scene from the Play Soma Tarō Hyōbundan performed at the Naka Theater in 11/1832
Ryūsai Shigeharu 柳窗重春, 1803–1853
Japanese
Edo period, 1603–1868
2011-59 a-b
Information
Title
Arashi Rikan II as the Shogun Taro, Nakamura Karoku I as Takiyosa, and Ichikawa Sukejiro in an unidentified role in a scene from the Play Soma Tarō Hyōbundan performed at the Naka Theater in 11/1832
Maker
Medium
Woodblock print (ōban tate-e diptych); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
each sheet trimmed to block: 37.8 x 26 cm. (14 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.)
overall sheet (a-b, joined): 37.8 x 52 cm
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund, selected for acquisition by students in ART 425: The Japanese Print
Object Number
2011-59 a-b
Place Made
Asia, Japan
Description
This diptych depicts a performance of the Kabuki play Soma Tarō Hyōbundan. While Kabuki was a typical subject in Edo-period prints, this print is unusual in that it places the scene in a landscape setting; the style of the landscape employs a painting mode invented by the Maruyama-Shijō workshop, one of the most important Kyoto-based painting studios of the Edo period. This appropriation of a painting style for a theater print background was unusual and demonstrates the innovation of print artists working in Osaka. In the most interesting cases – as here – Osaka prints transformed the typical formulae of contemporary mainstream productions from the city of Edo. This print also experiments with dramatic perspective. Like many Osaka prints, it is technically accomplished – some of the best block carvers and printers worked in Osaka – and the condition is excellent.
Culture
Period
Techniques
Subject
–2011 Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art (New York, NY), sold to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2011.
Share your feedback with us
The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.
