AFTER KATSUKAWA SHUNSHO (1726 –1792), 'A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN READING A LETTER', 19TH CENTURY print, from the original painting on silk, mounted as a Kakemono, framed and under glass, label/text versoNote: the text on the back tells us: Shunsho Katsukawa was familiarly called Vusuke, but besides the name he employed several pseudonyms: Kyokurösel, Yuji, Ririn. He likewise called himself Katsu-Miyagawa. He was clever in painting typical faces of actors; as well as drawing pictures of samuri of his time and, moreover, he displayed real ability in beautiful women. In the early days of his career, Shunsha lodged with one Shichiyemon Hayashi, a publisher and bookseller in Ningyo-cho, Yedo (now Tokyo). At that time his reputation as an artist was not yet established, and therefore he had no seal of his own. Consequently he used that of Hayashi, which bore the character, 林 Hayashi, enclosed within the outline of a tsubo (a jar) having two handles: consequently Shun ho was called "Tsuboya" by people in general. From that time, however, it was not long until he had won high reputation and soon came to command general praise. A considerable number of volumes of coloured wood-cuts and picture-books, reproduced from his drawings, have been published. Among them, first, Ye-Hon Hyaku-nin Isshu ("Portraits of the One hundred Famous Poets of Ancient Times", second, Ye-Hon Ibukiyama ("Pictures of Warriors"), third, Ye-hon Butai-ogi ("Pictures of the Fates of Ideal Actors") fourth, Natsusso-Fuji, literally "Fuji in Summer" ("Faces of Actors without make-up because in summer Mount Fuji is without any white snow) and several other such books are famous throughout the world. In his time the art of printing in colours from wood blocks was greatly developed that wood-engraving and Nishikiye (Prints in colours) attained a high degree of excellence; and coloured woodcuts, representing the manners of Yedo, won great reputation, were largely due to Shunsho's great merit. He died on the 8th day of the 12th month of the 4th year of Kwansei Era (1792) at the age of sixty seven. Now to trace the evolation of his artistic attainments. He first, followed the technical method of an artist named Kokoku Su (1730 - 1804) who himself imitated an old master, Itcho Hanabusa (1652-1724); and consequently Shunsho, for a time, produced pictures with the characteristics of Itcho. He afterwards adopted the style of Shunsui, son of Chosunn, who was the founder founder of the Miyagawa School of Art, but eventually he developed his own peculiar style and, becoming a skilful hand at Ukiyoye, the "Popular School," or genre paintings, is called the greatest master of that school. Even Hokusai Katsushika himself entered Shunsho's studio and received instruction from him for a time. image size 37cm high x 22cm wide, 51cm high x 37cm wide overall