Bidspirit auction | Two Woodblock Prints by Utagawa

Two Woodblock Prints by Utagawa Kunisada II (Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV) - Two woodblock prints by Utagawa Kunisada II (Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV). Japan, Edo period, 1823-1880. Color woodblock print on Washi (Japanese paper). Signed by the artist Utagawa Kunisada II (1823-1880). Sheet dimensions (display dimensions): approx. 25.3 × 38.5 cm and 25.5 × 37.2 cm. Framed under glass, frame dimensions: each 46.5 × 33 cm. Condition: slightly browned and color loss, somewhat soiled. Utagawa Kunisada II, born Takenouchi Munehisa, was an important Ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period and a successor of the influential Utagawa school. As a student and later adopted son of Utagawa Kunisada I, he continued his style and later also signed as Toyokuni IV. His work primarily includes color woodblock prints depicting Kabuki actors, beautiful women, and literary scenes. Kunisada II shaped the further development of the Utagawa tradition and is represented today in numerous international collections.