Palace of the Queen Mother of the West (Seiōbo, Ch. Xiwangmu)

Date:: ca. 1779-94
Medium:: Print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Victoria and Albert Museum

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

The Queen Mother of the West (Seiōbo in Japanese, Xiwangmu in Chinese) — a Daoist immortal who guards the peach garden of eternal life on the mythological Kunlun Mountain — is depicted in this print from Hokusai's early career between 1779 and 1794. The subject draws on Chinese mythological tradition that had deep roots in Japanese popular culture, and the composition reflects the young Hokusai's engagement with Chinese narrative subjects.

More Prints by Katsushika Hokusai

The Fishermen of Katase Hauling in Their Nets: The Purple Shell (Murasakigai)

1821

Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban

Burdock Root (Kurama gobo), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"

1822

Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"

1822

Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Orange Orchids, from an untitled series of flowers

c. 1832

Color woodblock print; oban

More Landscapes Prints

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"

Wakasa Kugushiko

1920

Color woodblock print; oban

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)

Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)

n.d.

Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Palace of the Queen Mother of the West (Seiōbo, Ch. Xiwangmu) was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) in ca. 1779-94.

Palace of the Queen Mother of the West (Seiōbo, Ch. Xiwangmu) depicts landscapes, architecture, and daily life.