勝川春章画 二代目小佐川常世・五代目市川団十郎|Kabuki Actors Osagawa Tsuneyo II and Ichikawa Danjūrō V
ca. 1780s
Medium
Diptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (left): 10 7/8 × 5 1/2 in. (27.6 × 14 cm) Image (right): 10 7/8 × 5 3/4 in. (27.6 × 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2681a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant diptych of wood prints by Katsukawa Shunō captures two kabuki stars of the late 18th century: Os Tsuneyo II and Ichikawa Danjūr V. Created around the 1780s Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), it showcases the actors in dynamic poses, likely from a scene involving weapons, as suggested by the print's motifs. Shunshō, a pioneering ukiyo-e master founder of the Katsukawa, excelled in yakusha-e—realistic portraits of kabuki performers that brought theater's energy to everyday viewers. The medium, nishiki-e (brocade prints), revolutionized woodblock printing with its lavish ink and color ...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章 (Japanese) · 1726 –1792
Japanese, 1726–1792