Folder for Woodblock Prints

A rectangular folder for containing Toyokuni II’s triptych “A Tea Party.” On the folder, there are multiple inscriptions, including the name of the piece, a signature from Toyokuni II, and the donor to whom it is addressed: H.V. Putzel. Toyokuni II was a small artist who lived from 1777-1835. Details about his life are sparse, but what can be determined is that his real name is Utawaga Toyoshige. He began painting ukiyo-e, a popular Edo Period (1603-1868) art style usually depicting daily life, under the guidance of his master Toyokuni I. Once his master passed, Toyoshige adopted his name, much to the disapproval of his other students. The ukiyo-e he painted primarily focused on depicting landscapes and bijin-ga, portraits of women. The triptych held within this folder is likely categorized as a bijin-ga.

Andreas Marks. Japanese Woodblock Prints : Artists, Publishers, and Masterworks, 1680-1900 /.
Tokyo ; Rutland, Vt. : Tuttle Pub., 2010.

““Featured Object: Woodblock Print: Ukiyo-e a Tea Party by Toyokuni II,” n.d.
https://www.spurlock.illinois.edu/blog/p/featured-object-woodblock/50.

“Lyon Collection : Artist : Utagawa Toyokuni II (二代目歌川豊国) [Utagawa Toyokuni II],”
n.d. https://woodblockprints.org/index.php/Detail/entities/36.

Toyokuni ii (toyoshige) | the art of Japan. Accessed December 6, 2024.
https://theartofjapan.com/artist/toyokuni-ii-toyoshige.

Utagawa Toyoshige (歌川豊重 Toyokuni ii) | british museum. Available at:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG6956 (Accessed: 06 December 2024).

Woodblock Print: Ukiyo-e, a Tea Party by Toyokuni II, Search the Collection, SpurlockMuseum, U of I,” n.d. https://www.spurlock.illinois.edu/collections/search-collection/details.php?a=1900.43.0019A.