Kunichika Woodblock Prints
I have two woodblock prints from Toyohara Kunichika. The first I believe I have been able to identify as "大山左衛門尉 市川左団次" from 1983. I still have, however, both the original bill of sale and certificate of authenticity which list the title as "Actors," the year as "1877" and the Artist as "Chikahara." Given, however, that I cannot find ANYTHING on such a woodblock artist, I'm inclined to wonder if the gallery mistranslated. The second piece is listed on the bill of sale and certificate of authenticity as "Actors (c. 1880)" by Kunichika. I have found very similar prints from Kunichika around that time, so I'm inclined to believe the accuracy of the CoA. I do wonder, however, if this piece has been seen before, given that I have looked through THOUSANDS of woodblock prints from that period and cannot find a match.
I acquired these two pieces from my Grandfather's partner. They were purchased by her late husband in late September, 1987 from Park West Galleries in Michigan according to the bill of sale.
Inherited
Maybe
Hello Connor. Thank you for you appraisal inquiry with MeArto. I very much apologize for the few hour delay in your appraisal. The items presented appear to be late 19th century Ukiyo-e color woodblocks depicting kabuki actors.
The print with the single figure depicted is by Toyohara Kunichika (豊原 国周, Japanese, 1835 – 1900), titled "大山左衛門尉 市川左団次 (Captain Oyama Saemon Ichikawa Sadanji)." Ichikawa Sadanji (1842 - 1904) was a leading kabuki actors of the Meiji period. In this image, it appears the actor is in his June 1882 role of Mochizuki Saemon Akinaga in "Imayô Mochizuki."
The print with two figures is by Morikawa Chikashige (守川周重, Japanese, active 1869-1882). The "Chikahara" noted on the receipt is likely a misspelling. Chikashige studied under Kunichika, which may explain any attribution confusing. I am less certain of the actors in this image. However, I believe the actors are Iwai Shijaku and, again, Ichikawa Sadanji.
The seals and signatures differ from original impressions. This is not to say the prints are not authentic, but they may be later reprints. Further examination of the print outside the frame and may lead to additional authentication . The estimate provided is based on the collection of the two woodblocks and are based on recent auction estimates and results of print by Chikashige and Kunichika.
