Under the Wave of Kanagawa (The Great Wave)

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849)

British Museum

circa 1830-1833

This print has taken on international iconic status with the witty composition whereby Mount Fuji in Japan is apparently dwarfed by the 'Great Wave'. This is one of the top twenty or so surviving impressions of the print now known in the world. This impression is in very good condition and has a particularly beautiful woodgrain pattern in the dark sky either side of Mt. Fuji that seems to be unique among surviving impressions. The British Museum has two other inferior impressions.

• Medium: colour woodblock print on paper
• Dimensions: 25.8 x 37.9cm
• Art Fund Grant: £25000 ( Total: £130,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2008
• Vendor: Israel Goldman

Provenance

Densmore Sisters, Paris; ?Rene Druart, late 1940s; by descent; Sotheby's, Paris, 2007; Israel Goldman.

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