Title : A Parody of Paintings of Herdboy

Artist : Suzuki Harunobu

Date : c. 1766

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : Harunobu is credited with the mastery of full color prints, known as nishiki-e, or "brocade prints." The Academy has over 130 prints by this artist, which are highly prized by scholars and frequently requested for exhibition internationally. This print exemplifies the mastery of printmaking techniques employed by Harunobu, including blind embossing in the ox's head and neck, and overprinting in the kimono, baskets, and leaves to create patterns. Before treatment, the print suffered from surface soil due to handling, light stains, abrasion in the paper support, and a small loss on the right edge. In addition, it was glued down to an old mat board at the four corners. The print was removed from the old mat, and residual paper accretions and adhesives were removed from the verso. Then the print was surface-cleaned to reduce soil and handling grime. The small loss in the right edge was filled with a toned Japanese paper insert, and the work was humidified and friction dried to reduce horizontal and diagonal creases. In friction drying, the print is placed between damp Japanese paper and brushed out flat. The sandwiched print is then placed under light weight, and the "friction" between the fibrous Japanese papers helps eradicate distortions. 2003

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