Kuniyoshi 国芳: Original Preparatory Of Horse and Thrown Rider, Intended for the 53 Parallels of thdrawingse Tokaido Road Series (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) Title: Original Preparatory Of Horse and Thrown Rider, Intended for the 53 Parallels of the Tokaido Road Series Date: ca late 1840s We see a horse kicking up its forelegs, throwing its rider to the ground, one of its reins hanging loose above the hand of the thrown man. A second man in the background holds his hands up in a gesture of surprise. This work seems to have been planned for the series “53 Parallels for the Tokaido Road” which was published around 1845, with about 30 of the works by Kuniyoshi. It is interesting to wonder how the collaborative process for a large series like this worked; did each artist propose his designs, or were they assigned specific stations and then each came up with designs for approval? Regarding this drawing, there are no hints as to the station nor to the associated story. In the finished series there are no works that feature horses on land, although there is a design with a swimming horse. Here the horse’s back