Attributed to Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806)
Lot 89

Attributed to Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806)

Unravelling the Threads of Desire

Price Realised

GBP 2,250

More Information

Conditions of Sale
How to sell

Attributed to Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806)
Unravelling the Threads of Desire
Unravelling the Threads of Desire (Negai no ito-guchi), a couple make love beside a shamisen

Woodblock print, one page from an illustrated erotic book, 1799
Horizontal oban (25.7 x 39.4 cm.)

Specialist note

This is the final design from Utamaro's erotic book Unravelling the Threads of Desire (Negai no ito-guchi), which depicts the young daughter of a townsman and her lover. The complete book comprises 13 illustrations in total, each featuring couples making love in various settings.

For other designs in the collections of The British Museum, London, and The Metropolitan Museum, New York, go to:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=781707&partId=1
and:
https://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/56714