Scottish, b. 1967
Veranda (A/P)
(Engawa)
signed at the lower left in gold kanji, Bin-ni, followed by artist's silver seal Binnie, titled and signed in sumi ink on the bottom margin, A/P (artist's proof), Engawa, Paul Binnie, the edition limited to only 30 impressions, 2004
dai oban tate-e 16 3/8 by 11 3/4 in., 41.7 by 29.9 cm
You could say this 'come hither' beauty, set against a seductive deep burgandy background, launched all the others- as it was Binnie's first female nude woodblock print. Apparently he did not anticipate the popularity of his bijin nudes, and this design in particular, for the tiny edition of just 30 impressions quickly sold out. A few months later in January 2005 he used the same figure in the print, Utamaro's Erotica from the tattoo series, A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Utamaro no shunga) in an edition of 100 which has very nearly sold-out.
Eventually demand for his earlier bijin prints inspired Binnie to revisit popular designs, providing the artist with an opportunity to explore other palettes and collectors with the opportunity to acquire examples of his strongest works- without (for the time being) having to compete on the secondary market. In 2009, he issued a new edition of this design, with changes to the blocks and a lush raspberry red background, in an edition of 100 as a part of his Eastern Brocade Beauties print series
Reference:
Paul Binnie: A Dialogue with the Past - The First 100 Japanese Prints, 2007, p. 120, no. 83
(inv. no. C-1058)
price: Sold