The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200
- Date:
- c. 1938
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
$1,500–$10,000. Common prints: $1,500–$3,000. Key value factors: Settai's literary elegance and refined technique have a niche but devoted following among collectors of Japanese aestheticism.
The heroine Osen emerges from her bath in this circa 1938 oban woodblock print, numbered 40 from a limited edition of 200 copies. Osen, the celebrated Edo-period tea-house beauty, was a recurring figure in Settai's work, her combination of modest social origins and extraordinary allure aligning with his interest in female beauty as both aesthetic and social phenomenon. The post-bath moment captures Osen in a state of unguarded naturalness, her hair loosened and skin flushed, a subject that allowed Settai to deploy his skills in rendering the female form with both intimacy and formal control. The limited edition size reflects the print's status as a luxury object, produced with the care and attention to material quality that distinguished shin-hanga from commercial publishing.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200 was created by Komura Settai (小村雪岱) in c. 1938.
The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1938).
The Heroine Osen after a Bath 40/200 depicts figures and bijin-ga.
