Bezoekers van het drakenpaleis
1802
Medium
color woodcut
Dimensions
265; 182
About this artwork
Boek (eerste editie) met afbeeldingen van vissen, schildpadden en schelpen; donkerblauwe kaft; linksboven titelstrook; 33 bladen, genummerd: drie pagina`s, voorwoord; 1b-31a, afbeeldingen van zeedieren; 31b-32, gedichten; 32b, colofon. Boek bewaard in donkerrode omslag.
Art Historical Context
**Bezoekers van het Drakenpaleis (Visitors to the Dragon Palace)** Created in 1802 by Kitao Masayoshi, a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, this first-edition color woodcut book (ehon) measures 265 × 182 mm and invites viewers into a fantastical underwater world. Housed in a dark blue with a title strip and in a dark red wrapper it spans 33 leaves: a preface on the first three pages, followed by intricate illustrations of fish, turtles, and shells from pages 1b to 31a. The final leaves feature poems (31b-32) and a colophon on 32b, blending art, nature, and poetry. The title evokes t...
About the Artist
Kitao Masayoshi · 1761–1824
Kitao Masayoshi (1761–1824), who later took the name Kuwagata Keisai, was a pivotal figure in Japanese art whose influence extended from ukiyo-e printmaking to the development of instructional art manuals that would shape Japanese visual culture for generations. Born in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1761 and dying there in 1824, Masayoshi's career spanned a transformative period in Japanese art when ...