Mattia Jona, Master Drawings and Prints, Japanese Prints - Piazzetta Guastalla 5, 20122 Milan, Italy, tel (+39) 02 8053315

SHUNTEI MIYAGAWA (1873 - 1914) BEAUTIES ENJOYING PLUM BLOSSOMS IN FEBRUARY
Woodcuts, 'Oban' triptych, 1898, from the series 'Beautiful Women for the twelve months', signed on the right sheet 'Shuntei Gyoshi'. Very good impression, with burnishing and metallic pigments. Colours well preserved, minor flaws, generally in very good condition. Overall size c. 37 x 74 cm.

Miyagawa Shuntei, whose real name was Watanabe Morikichi, studied under Watanabe Shôka, and later under Tokioka Eisen. He is known for his series of prints showing the customs and manners of the later Meiji period. Miyagawa Shuntei's finest art was in the genre of bijin-ga, portrayals of beautiful women. In this regard, he is often regarded by scholars as a precursor to the woodcuts of the following generation of famous Shin Hanga artists such as Goyo, Shinsui and Kotondo, who specialized in portraits of beautiful women.