Engulfing its $100/150,000 estimate to achieve $425,000 was “Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) (Kanagawa oki nami ura)” from “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)” by Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849), circa 1831, woodblock print embellished with light mica powder, 9-7/8 by 14-5/8 inches.
Review by Kiersten Busch
DALLAS — Heritage Auctions took bidders on a journey through Japanese art history with its Masterpieces: Japanese Prints from the Nelkin Collection Signature Auction, conducted on March 20. The white glove sale, which coincided with Asia Week New York (March 13-21), saw 274 lots of Japanese woodblock prints and other related items cross the block, and totaled $2,476,537.
“The sale went very well,” explained Charlene Wang, consignment director of Asian art at Heritage. “We doubled the high estimate, which was $1,153,800. We broke two artist records: Choensai Eishin (Japanese, active 1795-1817) and Katsukawa Shunsen (active 17800-1800), as well as over 40 world auction record prints, including many by Kawase Hasui. Everyone is very pleased with the results.”
Of the bidding pool, Wang continued, “Most of the bidders were Japanese prints collectors and dealers based in the US, along with a strong presence of international buyers. We’re also seeing a growing interest among younger collectors, which is an encouraging sign for the future of the category.”
A rare, early impression of Katsushika Hokusai’s famous “Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) (Kanagawa oki nami ura)” from his print series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)” crashed to $425,000, leading the day. “We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to handle ‘The Great Wave,’” said Wang. “While everyone knows this as one of the most iconic and universally recognized images in art history, experiencing it in person was both humbling and exhilarating. It also became a true conversation piece — bringing together colleagues from different departments and captivating guests during the preview. When we previewed it in our Tokyo and New York galleries, everyone loved it, and many couldn’t resist taking photos to remember the moment.”
This first edition printing of “Mishima River, Mutsu Province” from “Souvenirs of Travel II (Tabi miyage dai nishu)” by Kawase Hasui (Japanese, 1883-1957), 1919, woodblock print, 15¼ by 10½ inches, flowed to $55,000.
Wang added, “This piece was purchased by one of our clients who typically collects in other categories, such as sports and general collectibles. This highlights how the appreciation for ‘The Great Wave’ transcends traditional boundaries and appeals beyond Japanese print or Asian art collectors.”
An artist with a significant number of prints in the Nelkin collection was Kawase Hasui, whose work “Mishima River, Mutsu Province” from the series “Souvenirs of Travel II (Tabi miyage dai nishu)” earned the highest price of 23 prints at $55,000 and was “a rare and significant example from the very beginning of his artistic journey,” explained Wang. This work, as well as “Mountain Temple at Sendai (Sendai, yama no tera),” which hiked to $35,000, predated the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
“Snow at Hashidate (Yuki no hashidate),” also by Hasui, was a special lot in the sale, achieving a new world auction record. “This is a remarkable image by Hasui. We broke the auction record for this print — which was previously held by us at $23,750. This particular impression, in superior condition, realized $45,000 — nearly double the previous record,” shared Wang.
“The Cloth-fulling Jewel River (Toi no Tamagawa)” by Kitagawa Utamaro had provenance to Tokyo- and Paris-based Tadamasa Hayashi (1854-1906), a Japanese art dealer. The circa 1795 woodblock print with gaufrage (a type of embossing) which flowed to $55,000, was “a very rare image” and was “preserved in wonderful condition,” according to Wang.
Sparkling at $55,000 was “The Cloth-fulling Jewel River (Toi no Tamagawa)” from “Six Jewel Rivers (Mu Tamagawa)” by Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806), circa 1795, woodblock print with gaufrage, 14¾ by 9-7/8 inches.
Of Kitagawa’s 11 works on offer, four depicted various animals; horses, dragons, birds and insects were part of the artist’s menagerie. Eleven works from the ehon “Myriad Birds: A Kyoka Competition (Momo chidori kyoka awase)” series ($16,250), Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (The Insect Book) (Ehon Mushi Erami) ($5,250), “Ascending Dragon” ($3,250) and “Three Horses” ($750) all found new homes by the auction’s close.
“The work portrays a tense moment in which the bandit Hakamadare attempts to ambush Fujiwara no Yasumasa, who remains unfazed as he plays his flute,” was the description given for Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s (Japanese, 1839-1892) “Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing the Flute by Moonlight (Meiji jugo mizunoe uma Kisho Kaiga Kyoshinkai shuppinga Fujiwara Yasumasa gekka roteki).” The 1883 woodblock on print triptych with shomen-zuri details was rooted in setsuwa, or narrative folklore, and earned a mythical $28,750, the highest of 12 works by the artist on offer.
Heritage will hold two more Japanese print sales from the Nelkin collection, scheduled for June 19 and September 30. Prices include buyer’s premium, as reported by the auction house. For information, 214-528-3500 or www.ha.com.
