Live Auction 20214Important Japanese Art
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Lot 47 PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS, SOLD TO SUPPORT ART ACQUISITIONS AND COLLECTIONS CARE

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)

The Amida Waterfalls in the far reaches of the Kiso Road

Closed21 September 2021

Price Realised

USD 118,750

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KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
The Amida Waterfalls in the far reaches of the Kiso Road
Woodblock print, from the series Shokoku taki meguri (A tour of waterfalls in various provinces), signed Saki no Hokusai Iitsu hitsu, published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo), circa 1832
Vertical oban: 15 ¼ x 10 1/8 in. (38.7 x 25.7 cm.)

Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954), Springfield, Massachusetts

Specialist note

A close-up view of the falls as the water plunges through a dark, narrow and mysterious ravine, while the overwhelming majesty of the scene is underscored and enhanced by the diminutive figures of the two sightseers seated on an outcrop while their servant prepares a meal; the strange circular gap in the cliffs was thought to resemble the head of Buddha, and the site was consequently known as the Amida Waterfall. The dramatic qualities of the design are enhanced by the sudden and unexpected way that Hokusai, recognising the physical limitations of the size of an oban print, has cut off the lower half of the crashing water in full flow and left the viewer to imagine its continuing descent.