Crow and Heron in Snow
Woodblock Print
1772-1781 (Made)
1772-1781 (Made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Isoda Koryūsai was a pupil of Suzuki Harunobu, the artist credited with the popularisation of full-colour prints. Koryûsai is generally known for his prints of beautiful women, but here he turns his hand to birds and flowers.
In a variation on the classic willow and heron theme of Chinese painting, Koryûsai depicts a crow and heron on a snowy willow branch. The red of the camellias contrasts strikingly with the black and white of the birds' plumage.
The combination of colours gives the appearance of a painting, demonstrating the mastery of full-colour printing achieved in Japan.
In a variation on the classic willow and heron theme of Chinese painting, Koryûsai depicts a crow and heron on a snowy willow branch. The red of the camellias contrasts strikingly with the black and white of the birds' plumage.
The combination of colours gives the appearance of a painting, demonstrating the mastery of full-colour printing achieved in Japan.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Crow and Heron in Snow (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Woodblock print on paper |
| Brief description | Woodblock print, 'Crow and Heron in Snow' by Isoda Koryusai (1735-1790) Japan, 1772-1781. |
| Physical description | Woodblock print. Chūban format, nishiki-e (full-colour print). Surimono (privately-published print). Birds on plain ground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co., accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Isoda Koryūsai was a pupil of Suzuki Harunobu, the artist credited with the popularisation of full-colour prints. Koryûsai is generally known for his prints of beautiful women, but here he turns his hand to birds and flowers. In a variation on the classic willow and heron theme of Chinese painting, Koryûsai depicts a crow and heron on a snowy willow branch. The red of the camellias contrasts strikingly with the black and white of the birds' plumage. The combination of colours gives the appearance of a painting, demonstrating the mastery of full-colour printing achieved in Japan. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.5219-1886 |
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| Record created | November 3, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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