Utagawa Yoshitoyo, "Elephant from India"

Beginning in the 1850s, the once-reclusive Japan saw an influx of foreigners from the West, many arriving through the newly opened port of Yokohama. Japanese artists documented these unfamiliar visitors and the rapidly changing world around them in a genre of prints known as yokohama-e. 

Here, the spectacle of a great elephant from India is depicted as the animal eats hay with the assistance of its attendant. The hulking gray mass of the elephant is strikingly contrasted with the bright yellow of its cage, while its gentle, almost playful expression adds a charming touch to the scene.

Date: 1863
Size: Oban
Publisher: Kichibei
Condition: Excellent color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony

Utagawa Yoshitoyo (active 1860s) was a student of Kunisada and Kuniyoshi, and while not widely known, his yokohama-e prints are well-regarded and contain some of the most fascinating designs from the time period.