Original painting by Japanese artist Utamaro discovered
A rare original painting by Japanese woodblock print artist Utamaro Kitagawa has been found at the house of an elderly woman, whose husband bought it for less than 30 dollars decades ago.
The work by Utamaro (1753-1806), one of the greatest artists of traditional woodblock prints Ukiyo-e, was discovered while national network Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) was working on a documentary on the artist, said Shugo Asano, who checked the painting`s authenticity.
It had been kept by an elderly woman in rural Tochigi prefecture in central Japan. Only 30 of Utamaro`s paintings are known to still be in existence, along with 2,000 woodblock prints, said Asano, head of the cultural section of the Chiba City Museum of Art.
"The discovery makes an extremely important addition to the hand painting collection by Utamaro and is a valuable material to study his work," he said.
Utamaro is best known for his portraits of female beauties often with erotic themes. His printed work is kept at various top venues including the British Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
The discovered work, entitled "Onna Daruma Zu" or "Picture of female Dharma", portrayed a fair-faced courtesan wearing a red garment, making her look like Buddhist Dharma.
Experts knew the work existed, but they had not been able to locate it.
The elderly woman, whose identity was not publicised, said her late husband bought the painting two to three decades ago from a local junk dealer for 2,000 to 3,000 yen (17 to 26 dollars).
The discovery of the work at a private residence suggests that the painting never left the Tochigi region, where Utamaro once lived and enjoyed ties with wealthy merchants, Asano said.
"I was initially surprised by how badly damaged it was," Asano. "The old lady kept the painting in a wood box. So the work`s physical condition is extremely bad."
"But after having closer look, I saw the brush strokes, the shape of the face, the line of her cheek, ear, eye brows...they are carefully executed and just right," he said.
The painting is now stored at a local museum to prevent further damage.
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