Osamu Tezuka - Triton of the Sea (海のトリトン)
Osamu Tezuka - Triton of the Sea (海のトリトン)
| Artist | Osamu Tezuka (Japan, 1928-1989) |
| Year | 1972 |
| Materials | Hand-painted animation production cel (opaque paint on celluloid/acetate) |
| Size | (H)22.8cm, (W)27.4cm |
| Framed | (H)35.7cm, (W)45.2cm, (D)2.8cm |
| Rarity | Unique |
| Medium | Painting |
| Signature | No artist signature. The cel bears a hand-written production number A6 at the top edge with registration peg holes, confirming studio use. |
| Condition and Authenticity | Hand-painted cel with a few minor surface scuffs and slight paint lifting at some edges. Framed and in generally good overall condition. This artwork does not include a certificate of authenticity. |
| Provenance | Auction in Japan |
| Frame | Black wood frame with cream mount; comes with an outer cardboard box. |
This is an original, screen-used production cel from "Triton of the Sea," the 1972 television series that marked the directorial debut of Yoshiyuki Tomino, later celebrated worldwide as the creator of "Mobile Suit Gundam." Adapted from Osamu Tezuka's manga and animated at Mushi Production, the series is a landmark of Japan's early television-animation era. The cel captures the young hero Triton cutting through the ocean surface, his vivid green hair and determined expression rendered in hand-applied opaque color on a transparent celluloid sheet. The registration peg holes and the hand-written cel number "A6" along the top edge are physical traces of the studio photography process, confirming that this exact sheet passed under the animation camera to expose a single frame of the broadcast. Unlike mass-produced prints, each cel is a unique object tied to one specific moment of motion, and surviving materials from this period are increasingly sought after internationally as both fine art and primary documents of animation history.