Keisai Eisen (1790–1848)

Condition Report

Impression & Colours

Good impression. The keyblock is clear in the fine combed lines of the hair, the features and the small buildings of the inset. The blue stripes of the kimono remain strong; the other colours — the salmon-red shelf, pink under-robe and grey collar — are softer and the whole image is warmer.

Paper

Overall toning, with light soiling and a few spots, mainly upper left. Two minor repairs noted. Minor crease and wear; The face and main figure are well perserved.

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

A Glance over the Shoulder

Eisen brings the viewer close: the beauty fills the sheet from the chignon to the elbow, turning sharply to look back over her shoulder, lips parted. She wears a blue striped robe over a pink dappled under-robe, a dotted hand towel over her arm, and a pale comb and blue hairpin set in her hair. At left, a red shelf holds blue-and-white ceramic jars — a glimpse of the restaurant's service rooms.

The framed inset above gives the address: the precinct of Shiba Shinmei, the shrine in the Shiba district of Edo, its roof marked by crossed chigi finials above the surrounding streets. The long face, heavy-lidded eyes and full lower lip are hallmarks of Eisen's beauties of the late 1820s, when he was the leading designer of the genre.

Keisai Eisen — Beauties of Late Edo

Keisai Eisen (1790–1848) was the foremost designer of bijin-ga by the mid-Bunsei era. His women are more worldly and self-assured than the idealised beauties of earlier generations, and his close-up half-length portraits are among his most admired designs. He also worked as a writer and designed landscapes, including stations of the Kisokaidō series later completed by Hiroshige.

Collector's Note

An original close-up beauty portrait by Eisen from c. 1827, a design that has also been offered at Bonhams, New York. A fair impression overall!