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Kingfisher on Snow Laden Reeds by Narazaki Eisho

Kingfisher on Snow Laden Reeds by Narazaki Eisho

Kingfisher on Snow Laden Reeds

Narazaki Eisho

Title

Kingfisher on Snow Laden Reeds

 
Artist

Narazaki Eisho

 
Year
c. 1920  
Technique
color woodcut with hand-applied "gofun" overlay 
Image Size
14 3/4 x 6 1/2" image size 
Signature
"Fuyo" signature in block above red artist's seal, in image, lower right 
Edition Size
not stated 
Annotations
 
Reference
Merritt, Helen, and Yamada, Nanako, Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, 1992, p. 107; Reigle Stephens, Amy, gen. ed., The new wave: Twentieth-century Japanese prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 29, and p. 109, cat. no 
Paper
antique-white laid 
State
published 
Publisher
Watanabe 
Inventory ID
21987 
Price
SOLD
Description

In the details of this finely executed piece, an overlay of splattered white pigment, called "gofun", is applied by hand after the printing of the blocks, to represent snow shaken off the branch on which the kingfisher sits. Gofun is made from the shells of oysters and clams, whose calcified particles make up a smooth, matte paint when mixed with glue. It was originally created to replace lead-based white paint, which would often turn black when mixed with vermillion or left in hot or humid conditions.

According to Merritt (and likely sourced from the ukiyo-e scholar Fujikake Shizuya, 1938), Narazaki Eisho used the art names Fuyo from 1916-1922, and Eisho from 1922-1936, which would suggest that this is a pre-earthquake (before September 1, 1923) print, a possibility which can not be ruled out considering the scarcity of works signed Fuyo.