“Chasing mosquitos”

Early 19th Century Japanese Preparatory drawing or Shita-e/Gako

Anonymous  Utagawa school -  possibly Hokuba 1771-1844

Oban tate-e 34 x 26cm

Drawn in Chinese Ink – not signed

Marks to the corners and repair at centre.

Written in Japanese “ The husband amuses himself / saying that he will / burn the mosquitos”

In this image, a couple are shown on a futon beneath a mosquito net. Both are smiling, with the man holding incense in one hand and an “Uchiwa” or fan, in the other. Two wooden Hako-makura (pillows) are at the bottom right to the image. The whole scene is shown in a cloud suggesting a dream like scene, with the semicircle at the top of the composition suggesting that this may be a design for a fan. Further preparatory drawings are shown on the back of the image.