Pheasant in flight between trees

Artist: Shoson Ohara

Name: Pheasant in flight between trees

Date: Not set

Description: OHARA KOSON Pheasant in flight between trees Date: c. 1900, published by Kokkeido (Akiyama Buernon). Kokkeido seal, signed Koson. Size: OVERSIZED naga-oban: 495 x 209 mm, 8.75″ x 19.5″ Condition: Full size (not trimmed), Fine. Impression: Fine. Color: Fine. Documentation: page 179 (K21.4) of Crows, Cranes & Camellias: the natural world of Ohara Koson. Leiden. 2001 A pheasant in flight in a windy and rainy woodland. There are nineteen examples of these large format prints with bird subjects. The are generally considered to be Koson’s earliest printed works for the publisher Kokkeido (Akiyama Buemon who also published Yoshitoshi’s One Hundred Aspects of the Moon series), and they appear to be amongst the artist’s rarest prints. They are characterised by careful printing and the use of the background wood-grain for effect. The fact that many impressions are toned is an unexplained feature. The unusual size of the Kokkeido works would have meant that great attention was paid to their production, an indication that the audience for them differed from ordinary prints. This care is exemplified in techniques such as the exposure of the wood-grain in the background to create texture and the application of gofun (Chinese white derived from ground oyster shell) as an accent.

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