Bunro | Young Couple with Falcons

文浪 Bunro (Active early 1800’s)

男女鹰匠
Young Couple with Falcons

1800-10

木版画 | 纵绘间判 | 34cm x 23.4.cm
Woodblock-print | Aiban tate -e | 34cm x 23.4.cm

早期版次；褪色
Early impression; fading

$5,200

作为一个多山的岛国，日本的鹰猎有着悠久的历史，据传在至晚公元4世纪就已成为一项专供皇室贵族的消遣活动。随着江户时代德川幕府垄断了整个鹰猎行业，鹰猎受到了空前的追捧，并在武士阶级中流行起来。专门负责饲养、训练猎鹰的职业——鹰匠也随之应运而生。

由于鹰匠是专业性很强的职业，且与幕府有着千丝万缕的联系，因此大部分鹰匠为世袭任命，具有一定的社会地位。当一位年轻俊美的鹰匠遇上了青春靓丽的美人，只需简单的一个眼神交流就足以入画。一袭茄纹衣装的美人看样子与猎鹰还刚接触不久，略带拘谨地望向了身旁的鹰匠。意气风发的鹰匠温柔回首，手架的猎鹰微微展翅振羽，好不威风。作为歌麿的门人，文浪在处理本作人物的开脸时颇具歌麿“大首绘”之风，但在衣纹的处理上却更偏向于菊川英山的华丽绚烂。同时，独具匠心的文浪还将一句关于新年初梦的吉祥俗语“一富士二鹰三茄子”巧妙地融入了画中，使全画洋溢着温馨祥和的气氛。

全作虽历经200余年时光洗礼，线条依然清晰锐利，纵有少许细节部位如美人美人和服及领口处已褪色，但依旧彰显着早期印刷版本的顶尖制作水准，古意盎然，珍罕依旧。

Look at the eye contact!

Here, two lovers holding two falcons, those elegant birds of prey, create a fasinating triangle of diagonal stares that give this wonderful composition an irresistible intensity.

Japan has a long history of falconry, which was monopolized by the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period and became a favorite past time of the samurai. (Indeed, falconry is featured in the hit television series, “Shogun.”)  Birds were trained to dive from the heavens to kill various woodland creatures before returning proudly to their masters’ arms.

Most falcon handlers were hereditary appointments that came with considerable social status. And here we see a handsome young falconer gazing lovingly at a young beauty in a wonderfully drawn eggplant-patterned kimono. But she’s not looking at him. She’s staring intently, and from just inches away, into the eyes of his falcon, which is staring back and fluttering his wings. It’s a curious human-to-animal interaction, to be sure.

Bunro was a disciple of Utamaro, which is evidenced in this gracefully and simply drawn faces. But we see here that his skill at revealing textures and patterns was exceptional.

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