Description:

Attributed to Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806)
Japan, late 18th / early 19th c.
46 cm x 51.8 cm
Ink and colour on paper, depicting Kintaro and Yamauba, the former suckling his mother's breast.
Former english private collection, former collection Huguette Bères, Paris

Exhibiton: Galerie Huguette Bères, Paris, Outamaro 1754 - 1806 Peintures, Estampes, 1954, published: Outamaro 1754 - 1806, Peintures, Estampes, Paris, 1954, S. 1

This painting is a preliminary draft for a famous woodblock print depicting Yamauba nursing the orphaned hero Kintaro. In this portrayal, Yamauba,who is otherwise mentioned as a fearsome, child-devouring demon in the Konjaku Monogatari tale collection from the 12th century, appears in a sensual and gentle manner. She lovingly cradles her ward Kintaro in her arms and lets him nurse at her breast. The painting is part of a series of more than thirty variations on this theme, created by Utamaro between 1801 and 1804. As this painting and his prints on the same subject show, Utamaro played a significant role in transforming the image of Yamauba from a monster into a loving mother figure. In Japanese folklore, Kintaro is a child with superhuman strength, who was abandoned in the wilderness and raised by the mountain witch Yamauba. His character is based on a real person named Sakata Kintoki, who lived during the Heian period (794-1185). The legend remains very popular to this day. The painting was presented as the highlight of the 1954 exhibition curated by the renowned ukiyo-e collector Huguette Bères in her Paris gallery. It featured on the cover of the exhibition catalogue and was used by the French publisher Mourlot for a fine art print to promote the show. During the exhibition, it was acquired by an English gentleman, who kept it in his collection for over 50 years. The artwork is offered together with its original frame from that time and the Mourlot poster.- cf.: For identical prints of the same subject by the artist and published by Tsutaya Juzaburo circa 1801-3, see Shugo Asano and Timothy Clark, Exhibition Catalogue, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, British Museum Press, London, 1995, p.194, pl.388 and Kiyoshi Shibui, Ukiyoe zuten (Dictionary of Ukiyo-e Images), Kazama Shobo, Tokyo, 1964, vol.13, p.209, pl.5

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) attr.
Japan, spätes 18. / frühes 19. Jh.
46 cm x 51.8 cm
Tusche und Farbe auf Papier. Darstellung von Kintaro beim Trinken an der Brust seiner Mutter Yamauba.
Ehemals aus einer englischen Privatsammlung, davor Sammlung Huguette Bères, Paris

Ausstellung: Galerie Huguette Bères, Paris, Outamaro 1754 - 1806 Peintures, Estampes, 1954 - Publiziert: Outamaro 1754 - 1806, Peintures, Estampes, Paris, 1954, S. 1

Diese Malerei ist ein Vorentwurf für einen berühmten Holzschnitt, der Yamauba zeigt, wie sie den Waisen und Helden Kintaro stillt. In der Darstellung erscheint Yamauba, die sonst als furchteinflößender, kinderfressender Dämon in der Geschichtensammlung Konjaku Monogatari aus dem 12. Jahrhundert erwähnt wird, in einer sinnlichen und sanften Weise. Liebevoll hält sie ihren Zögling Kintaro im Arm und lässt ihn an der Brust trinken. Das Gemälde gehört zu einer Serie von mehr als dreißig Variationen dieses Themas, die Utamaro zwischen 1801 und 1804 schuf. Wie dieses Gemälde und auch seine Drucke zum selben Thema zeigen, trug Utamaro maßgeblich zur Wandlung der Yamauba von einem Ungeheuer zu einer liebevollen Mutterfigur bei. In der japanischen Volkssage ist Kintaro ein Kind mit übermenschlichen Kräften, das als Waise in der Wildnis ausgesetzt und von der Berghexe Yamauba aufgezogen wurde. Seine Figur basiert auf einer realen Person mit Namens Sakata Kintoki, der in der Heian-Zeit (794-1185) lebte. Noch heute erfreut sich diese Legende großer Beliebtheit. Das Gemälde wurde als Höhepunkt der Ausstellung von 1954 präsentiert, die von der berühmten Ukiyo-e-Sammlerin Huguette Bères in ihrer Pariser Galeri

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