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「道化十二支 富士こし辰」 「道化十二支 目くらにこまる巳」
Dragons Climbing Mount Fuji (Fuji koshi no tatsu) and Snakes Disturbed by a Blind Man (Mekura ni komaru mi), from the series Comical Twelve Signs of the Zodiac (Dôke jûnishi)
「道化十二支 富士こし辰」 「道化十二支 目くらにこまる巳」
Japanese
Edo period
about 1841 (Tenpô 12)
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Two vertical chûban designs on uncut horizontal ôban sheet; 35.4 x 23.9 cm (13 15/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.16569
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
Catalogue Raisonné
Ôta Mem. Mus., Warau ukiyo-e (2013), #44; Inagaki and Isao, Kuniyoshi no kyôga (1991), #16
DescriptionBoth jokes refer to proverbial expressons. Storm clouds around the slopes of Mount Fuji were called "dragons climbing the mountain." A blind man is not afraid of snakes, since he cannot see them. Kuniyoshi illustrates both expressions literally.
Signed
Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga (on each design)
一勇斎国芳画
一勇斎国芳画
Marks
No censor's seal
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.