Ferryboat

Seascapes

Date:: c. 1798
Medium:: Color woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Later reprint or reproduction (20th-century): $50–$300
Good later impression (Edo-period): $1,000–$5,000
Good early impression (vivid color, legible detail): $5,000–$20,000
Fine early impression (exceptional color and condition): $20,000–$60,000

Hokusai's genre scenes, bijin-ga (beautiful women), and miscellaneous subjects represent the breadth of his career across more than seven decades. The market for non-landscape Hokusai prints has strengthened as collectors seek beyond the most famous designs.

Description

Passengers and cargo cross a stretch of calm water aboard a low-slung ferryboat, the vessel cutting diagonally across the composition in a manner typical of Hokusai's interest in depicting the working rhythms of Edo's waterways. Dated to around 1798, the print reflects his engagement with everyday transport scenes before the grand landscape series that would bring him international fame.