Actor on Kite
Sato Hodai
1865
Medium
Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions
24.7 × 18.5 cm (9 3/4 × 7 5/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
42589
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This print is a rare collaborative surimono created by two woodblock print masters who specialized in different areas of work. Utagawa Yoshitaki was by far the most prolific Osaka Kabuki print artist of the time, while Sato Hodai produced the most Osaka surimono designs of the 1860s. Here the two artists created a New Year design; Hodai created a kite and a branch of plum blossoms, and Yoshitaki made the Kabuki actor’s portrait. Both the plum blossoms and the kite indicate the New Year. In addit...