Kunisada: Prince Genji and Abalone Divers (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada Title: “Illustration of Divers at Ise Making Abalone Strips” (Ise no ama naga awabi tsukuri no zu). Date: 1860 “Illustration of Divers at Ise Making Abalone Strips” (Ise no ama naga awabi tsukuri no zu). Prince Genji (Mitsuuji)  is shown center in his princely attire, holding a folding fan in his right hand and a highly decorated tobacco pipe in his left. His kneeling attendant holds at the ready what must be his smoking accessories. He watches with interest the abalone divers processing their catch on shore. To the right, a diver and child haul their boat ashore; a diver carries a mesh bag full of harvested abalone towards the group at left. We see three topless abalone divers seated on woven mats,; one woman pries the abalone from the shell, while another woman cuts the abalone into even strips. A third woman organizes the strips, and we see a fourth woman in the background laying the strips out to dry in the sun In the background are two more diving boats, e