A Japanese shunga, erotic woodblock print, framed and glazed
Early 19th century
21cm x 30cm, total 35cm x 43cm
Depicting a young couple frolicking on the floor, surrounded by fragments of their pillow talk
The word Shunga literally means 'spring image'. They evolved naturally alongside the typical print production for very personal use. Publishing a woodblock print in Edo period was a long and heavily regulated process, where every design had to be approved by a censor. Shunga were illegal to release and failure to comply could result in a publishing house to go out of business. As a result, these prints lack the typical set of official seals, and despite some being designed by the most famous artists of the period, lack their signatures!
A Japanese shunga, erotic woodblock print, framed and glazed
Early 19th century
21cm x 30cm, total 35cm x 43cm
Depicting a young couple frolicking on the floor, surrounded by fragments of their pillow talk
The word Shunga literally means 'spring image'. They evolved naturally alongside the typical print production for very personal use. Publishing a woodblock print in Edo period was a long and heavily regulated process, where every design had to be approved by a censor. Shunga were illegal to release and failure to comply could result in a publishing house to go out of business. As a result, these prints lack the typical set of official seals, and despite some being designed by the most famous artists of the period, lack their signatures!
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