Woman with book sitting next to a New Year pull toy
late 1810s
Medium
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Dimensions
21.8 × 19 cm (8 5/8 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23572
Art Historical Context
In the late 1810s, Japanese ukiyo-e artist Tot Hokkei captured a serene moment of everyday elegance in *Woman with Book Sitting Next to a New Year Pull Toy a delicate color woodblock print in theikishiban format—a compact square of about 21.8 × 19 cm, perfect for intimate viewing. Hokkei, a of the famed Katsushika Hokusai, specialized in these refined surimono prints, were privately commissioned for New Year's greetings among poetry enthusiasts. Produced with meticulous craftsmanship, surimono often featured embossing, mica dusting, and vibrant pigments applied through multiple woodblocks, ele...
About the Artist
Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...