Woman Seated on a Pillow Reading a Letter While a Cat Sleeps Behind Her, Taishô period, dated 1918 (9th month of Taishô 9)
- Date:
- Taishô period, 1912-1926
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
Goyo completed only 14 woodblock print designs before his death in 1921, making every genuine impression extraordinarily rare. His bijin-ga are among the most refined of the entire shin-hanga movement. "Woman at the Bath" achieved $40,075 at Bonhams New York in 2020; Sotheby's estimates of $15,000–$25,000 are typical for top examples.
A woman seated on a cushion reading a letter while a cat sleeps peacefully behind her — one of Goyo's most psychologically layered compositions, the letter-reading figure absorbed in private communication while the oblivious cat provides a counterpoint of comfortable unconsciousness. The sleeping cat was a motif Goyo used with deliberate effect: cats sleep with complete self-abandonment, and their presence in compositions of feminine interiority creates an atmosphere of safety and domestic ease. From the ninth month of Taisho 9 (1920).
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Woman Seated on a Pillow Reading a Letter While a Cat Sleeps Behind Her, Taishô period, dated 1918 (9th month of Taishô 9) was created by Hashiguchi Goyo (橋口五葉) in Taishô period, 1912-1926.
Woman Seated on a Pillow Reading a Letter While a Cat Sleeps Behind Her, Taishô period, dated 1918 (9th month of Taishô 9) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (Taishô period, 1912-1926).
Woman Seated on a Pillow Reading a Letter While a Cat Sleeps Behind Her, Taishô period, dated 1918 (9th month of Taishô 9) depicts animals and cats.
