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OGATA GEKKO: THE NINE-TAILED FOX By Ogata Gekko (1859-1920), signed Gekko zuihitsu with seal Ichigaku Ichiei Japan, c. 1890s, Meiji period (1868-1912) Color woodblock print on paper. Horizontal oban. Set inside a frame, behind glass. Signed Gekko zuihitsu with seal Ichigaku Ichiei. Title Kyubi no kitsune (The Nine-tailed Fox), from the series Gekko zuihitsu (Gekko’s Miscellany). In this dynamic scene, the kitsune—disguised as a beautiful courtesan—flees the imperial palace, her form vanishing into the shadows as she narrowly escapes capture. Though her plot to assassinate the emperor fails, her deception sets off a chain of events that destabilizes the court, ultimately sparking one of the most consequential civil wars in Japanese history. Gekko captures the moment with dramatic tension, blending myth with historical allegory in a masterful display of Meiji-era printmaking. SIZE of the sheet 37 x 25 cm, SIZE incl. frame 56.5 x 41.5 cm Provenance: From the Eva and Aubrey Sweet Collection. Eva and Aubrey Sweet were Melbourne-based collectors who over six decades assembled an intimate yet ambitious collection of Asian art, with particular focus on Chinese jades, Japanese lacquerware, prints, and netsuke. Though modest and private in demeanor, their acquisitions were underpinned by methodical study, engagement with curators and dealers, and a wide reference library. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, some light browning and staining to the back. Ogata Gekko (1859-1920) was a Japanese artist best known as a painter and a designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. He was self-taught in art, won numerous national and international prizes, and was one of the earliest Japanese artists to win an international audience. Gekko was self-taught in art, and began decorating porcelain and rickshaws, and designing flyers for the pleasure quarters. His early style shows the influence of the painter Kikuchi Yosai. About 1881 he took the surname Ogata at the insistence of a descendant of the painter Ogata Korin. He soon was designing prints and illustrating books and newspapers. In 1885 Gekko exhibited in the Painting Appreciation Society, and he became acquainted with the art scholars Ernest Fenellosa and Okakura Kakuzo. Museum comparison: A closely related print is in the British Museum, registration number 1906,1220,0.1757.