Paul Binnie

Scottish, b. 1967

A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Harunobu's Bathtub
(Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Harunobu no Furo)

a nude holds a sponge to her chest as water highlighted with mica streams down her body, the background with overlaping bands of grey to dark grey baren sujizuri steam; the series title cartouche in gold pigment on the upper right margin, the print title to the left with the first portion, Harunobu no, in the style of Harunobu's signature, and a picture of a tub of water for Furo, signed in gold kanji, Bin-ni, with artist's seal in the shape of a towel on a stand that forms the letters Binnie, numbered from an edition of 100 and signed in pencil on the bottom margin, Paul Binnie, September 2007

oban tate-e 16 3/4 by 11 5/8 in., 42.5 by 29.4 cm

The figure tattooed on the model's right upper arm is derived from Suzuki Harunobu's (1725-1770) circa 1767-68 Two Women Washing Their Hair composition. Binnie isolates the right-hand figure and her washbasin from the original composition, placing her in tattoo-form on the shoulder of a seated beauty who squeezes water out of a sponge held to her chest while surrounded by clouds of steam.

Reference:
Harvard Art Museum, www.harvardartmuseums.org, no. 1933.4.2604

price: $700