East Asia, Japan, Meiji period, 1868 to 1912. An erotic Shunga painting that depicts three explicit sexual encounters between the same couple. The man and woman engage in playful foreplay, fondle each other's genitalia, and unite in coitus. All is delineated in graphic fashion with pronounced genitalia characteristic of Shunga art. Shunga are Japanese paintings that depict an extensive array of sensual encounters, ranging from tender to unmistakably erotic as demonstrated here. Shunga literally means "pictures of spring" - "spring" being a common euphemism for sex. An especially spicy example of Shunga painting that includes three erotic scenes, mounted in a handscroll format. Size (painting): 15" L x 36.6" W (38.1 cm x 93 cm) Size (handscroll): 15" L x 64" W (38.1 cm x 162.6 cm)

Japanese Shunga paintings were inspired by imagery found in Chinese medical manuals going back to the Muromachi era (14th to 16th centuries) as well as the paintings of Tang dynasty Chinese artist Zhou Fang who was known for depicting oversized genitalia. In Japan, the influences go back to the Heian period (794 to 1185) when sex scandals were depicted on narrative handscrolls; however, the form reached its pinnacle during the Edo period (1603 to 1867) and came to and end during the Meiji era (1868 to 1912).

Provenance: private Hawaii collection, acquired 2000 to 2010

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#177488

Crease marks and stains as shown. Some wear to fabric border. Wear with toning, stains, and abrasions to paper of scroll. While the painting was intended as a handscroll, it is mounted as a hanging scroll. Of course, one can still view it as a handscroll.