illustrated book;
print
- Museum number
- 1979,0305,0.465.2
- Title
- Object: Ehon saishiki tsu 絵本彩色通 (Picture Book: The Essence of Colouring)
- Description
-
Illustrated book. Vol. 2 of two volumes. Woodblock-printed.
- Production date
- 1848
- Dimensions
-
Height: 18 centimetres
-
Width: 13 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Clark 2017
Chinese lions, like ones in Hokusai’s ‘Daily Exorcism’ brush drawings (cat. 192), are shown in contrapposto poses, with mouths open and closed. Their manes, tails and fur are formed into eccentric swirls, and both mythic beasts exude a strong personality. In the text, mostly written in easy-to-read phonetic script, Hokusai gives advice on colours and how to apply them. Several dozen painted works have survived from Hokusai’s eighty-eighth year, far more than from any other year of his life. This book, compiled in 1847 when he was eighty-eight, supports the impression that the artist’s prime concern during this time was his legacy in painting. Hokusai writes as much in the postscript to volume 1, and anticipates getting better and better after ninety and one hundred. He expresses satisfaction at the modest price of each small volume of a projected set of four; in the event only two were published.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2017 25 May - 13 Aug, London, BM, G35, Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave
2017 6 Oct - 19 Nov, Osaka, Abeno Harukas Art Museum
2022 16 Apr-12 Jun, Tokyo, Suntory Museum of Art, Hokusai from the British Museum
- Acquisition date
- 1979
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1979,0305,0.465.2
- Additional IDs
-
Previous owner/ex-collection number: JH.465 (Hillier no.)
