Description:

attributed to Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849)
two sheets of preparatory drawings, ink on paper, one with two studies of an emaciated elderly man, one kneeling being bathed by a child, the other carrying a wooden bucket and towel, plus two studies of elegant ladies, 12 5/8 x 8¾in. (32 x 22.2cm.); the other with a variety of studies including two seated elderly men, a peacock, ducks and other birds, an angry child holding a rock, two labourers and others, 10¼ x 14 5/8in. (26 x 37.1cm.), both stamped in red katakana at the bottom corner with the collector's seal of Henri Vever, framed and glazed. (2)
* These are believed to be two of a large series of drawings made by Hokusai for an unpublished book, c.1829, which had formerly been in the possession of the Parisian jeweller and collector of Japanese 19th century art, Henri Vever., whose collection was auctioned in Paris in 1948. A large group of over 100 of these drawings was rediscovered in a private collection in France in 2019 and acquired by the British Museum through a grant by the Art Fund.
These drawings were executed at an important moment in Hokusai's career, in a period when he had suffered personal and financial strife and had previously been thought to have been relatively inactive in his artistic pursuits. It immediately preceded a renewed burst of creativity, which led to the famed print series 'Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji' (c.1831-1833).

  • Condition: Light toning to both sheets. Evidence of very light, occasional spotting and slight cockling,light creasing to the first, smaller sheet. The larger sheet with several, small insect holes towards the margins. Both sheets have been matted and framed to a very high standard by Galerie du Monde, Hong Kong.

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February 23, 2023 10:00 AM GMT
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