Illustration of The Bluebell (Asagao), Chapter 20 of the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari)

Date:: 19th century
Medium:: Almost looks like a painting/drawing
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

Chapter 20 of the Tale of Genji — the Asagao (Morning Glory) chapter, in which Prince Genji pursues the elusive Princess Asagao — is illustrated in a work whose nearly painterly rendering stands apart from conventional woodblock print technique. The nineteenth-century date and quasi-painted quality suggest this may be a preparatory sketch or an unusual hybrid work from Hokusai's later career.