Owl on a Flowering Magnolia Branch thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Owl on a Flowering Magnolia Branch

Woodblock Print
ca. 1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is an exquisite example of one of Kubo Shunman's surimono, a privately-produced and limited-edition print often commissioned to mark a special occasion. Surimono usually feature poems, often composed by the people who ordered them, and are typified by the intimate relationship between text and image. Here, the poem is delicately rendered to the upper right of the owl, which perches on the branch of a flowering magnolia.

Shunman (1757-1820) was a celebrated painter, print-maker and author of the Edo period (1615-1868). As a print-maker, he specialised in surimono.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleOwl on a Flowering Magnolia Branch (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Colour print from wood blocks
Dimensions
  • Height: 21.1cm
  • Width: 17.9cm
Shikishiban format (surimono)
Style
Summary
This is an exquisite example of one of Kubo Shunman's surimono, a privately-produced and limited-edition print often commissioned to mark a special occasion. Surimono usually feature poems, often composed by the people who ordered them, and are typified by the intimate relationship between text and image. Here, the poem is delicately rendered to the upper right of the owl, which perches on the branch of a flowering magnolia.

Shunman (1757-1820) was a celebrated painter, print-maker and author of the Edo period (1615-1868). As a print-maker, he specialised in surimono.
Bibliographic reference
Ukiyoe: Il Mondo Fluttuante (2004), pp.179-180
Collection
Accession number
E.4434-1914

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Record createdFebruary 27, 2006
Record URL
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