Keisai Eisen (1790–1848)

Condition Report

Impression & Colours

Very good. Fine keyblock lines throughout, including the hair, the roundel pattern of the kimono and the lattice of the shoji. Colours are fresh: the saturated blue of the robe, the bright red of the under-kimono, the orange-red maple leaves on the obi and the yellow of the poem cartouche. The grey shadow figures in the window are cleanly printed.

Paper

Good. Light, even age toning. Minor soiling and a few small spots, mainly in the upper left and along the right edge. The paper is firm and subtle.

⚠ Please examine all photographs carefully — they form part of this condition report.

A Party behind the Paper Screen

A young woman in a blue kimono has stepped out on high geta. She holds up the hem of her robe to show the red under-kimono, and turns sharply to look back over her shoulder. Behind her, a party goes on out of sight. Through the shoji we see it only as shadows: one figure dances with raised arms while another sits and watches.

A paper lantern hangs from a pole at lower right, placing the scene in the evening. The design sets the private entertainment, seen only as shadows, against the woman outside it. The poem cartouche at left and the series title Bijin sugata at right complete the composition.

Keisai Eisen — Beauties of Late Edo

Keisai Eisen (1790–1848) was one of the leading designers of bijin-ga in late Edo. By the mid-Bunsei era he was recognised as the foremost artist of the genre. His women are more worldly than the idealised beauties of earlier generations. Here the long face, the stooped posture and the full lower lip are all typical of his style. He was also a writer and designed landscapes, including stations for the Kisokaidō series later completed by Hiroshige.

Collector's Note

An original Edo-period bijin-ga by Eisen, with fresh colour and a full composition. Designs from Bijin sugata appear infrequently on the market; we could locate only one other sheet from the series offered for sale.