Schedel en een ribbenkast

About this artwork

On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase Yamanaka, New York, 1939)

Art Historical Context

Behold *Schedel en eenbenkast* (Skull and Rib Cage), striking brush drawing by the legendary Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849). Created sometime between 1800 and1900, this intimate work measures just 205 × 148 mm, showcasing Hokusai's mastery of sumi-e, the traditional ink brush technique central to East Asian art. Rendered with fluid, economical strokes, it captures the stark forms of a human skull and rib cage,oking themes of mortality amid the ukiyo-e ("floating world") tradition Hokusai helped define through his innovative prints and sketches. Hokusai, famed for iconic woodbl...

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...