Playing Music
- Date:
- 1904
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Typical Price
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
- Common examples: $100–$500
- Good impressions: $500–$2,000
- Premium/scarce: $2,000–$10,000
Description
"Playing Music" (1904) depicts women engaged in musical performance — whether the koto, shamisen, shakuhachi, or some combination of traditional instruments. Musical performance was both a valued feminine accomplishment and a social activity in Meiji Japan, and Shuntei renders the scene with attention to the specific postures and arrangements of traditional musical practice. The 1904 date suggests this is a later work in his career, when his style had achieved its mature refinement.
