Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock diptych, “Morning Glory”, 1878

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849)

“Morning Glory” (descriptive title only), 1878, diptych of colour woodblock pints of pages 44 and 45 from volume 15 in the series of fifteen volumes of Hokusai’s “Manga Jūgohen” (北斎漫画, 十五編), compiled by Katano Tōshirō (片野東四郎編輯) and published in Nagoya by Eirakuya Tōshirō (永楽屋東四郎) (fl.1813–1842) (see https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1  & https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1/23).

Two individual colour woodblock panels abutted to create a diptych printed in black, grey and light vermilion ink on fine washi paper laid upon a support sheet.

Size: (2 abutted sheets) 22.7 x 25.5 cm.

The British Museum offers a description of the volume in which this print features (vol. 15) as well as a online view of all the prints on thirty folded sheets (cho): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1979-0305-0-428-14.

Condition: delicate/pale impressions trimmed so that they may be abutted without a gap (but showing the superimposition of the left sheet over the right sheet), laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond a faint stain on the left panel, the diptych is in a good condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing—note that some naturally occurring darker fibres in the paper are visible.

I am selling this diptych of original colour woodblock prints by Hokusai featuring the vine and flowers of the common and very beautiful Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) for the total cost of AU$252 (currently US$184.37/EUR170.27/GBP142.21 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this quietly beautiful woodblock print by the almost legendary Hokusai, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.