Hiroshige (1797 - 1858) Japanese Woodblock Reprint
Night Snow at Kambara
Series; Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido
1930's from Robert O. Muller collection
Hiroshige’s Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido - In 1832, Hiroshige first traveled from his home in Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto along the Tokaido road. The journey was an eye opening and life changing experience for him. As an urban man of Edo he had experienced life mainly in the capital. He immediately returned to Edo after the trip and began his masterwork woodblock series from the sketches he had made on his journey. Hiroshige Tokaido prints are an opportunity to be transported back in time to see this world as Hiroshige did in the shadow of the Tokogawa shogunate.
Night Snow at Kambara - Kambara is the most acclaimed of Hiroshige's works, it is considered a world-class masterpiece. Hiroshige depicts the snowy night in a village with three travelers, two moving toward the right and one towards the left. A splendid midnight snow scene, created mainly in a monotone of black-and-white. The figures, softly colored - the only colorful images in this beautiful, lonely scene. Great choice for a collector. Bid now!
Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
Image Size - 9" x 14" + margins as shown
Provenance and our guarantee - Robert O. Muller collection, collected by Muller in Japan in the 1930's. Each print sold with certificate of authenticity from Fuji Arts (noting Muller collection provenance).
Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Paper remnants on reverse at two spots along edge from previous folio mounting. A few spots. Please see photos for details. Very nice overall.
The Robert O. Muller Collection for Japanese art enthusiasts - Robert Muller is regarded by curators, collectors and scholars as the individual who compiled the finest collection of 20th century Japanese woodblock prints in the world. After his death in April of 2003, 4000 Japanese woodblock prints were donated to the Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian. Other parts of his collection were sold. Muller's collection was the major source of prints for several books on Japanese woodblocks and his prints were exhibited all over the world. Search the web to find out more about this important collection, you'll find several excellent articles and press releases.
At Fuji Arts we're excited to offer pieces from a terrific acquisition; a wide ranging group of old ukiyo-e reprints from the Robert O. Muller collection. These prints are a great opportunity to collect some of the most famous images in Japanese art, in fine old editions, from a noted collection, at a tiny fraction of the cost of an original.
How were these prints made? These beautiful woodblock reprints were done exactly as the originals. An artist carved a wood block, one for each color, and hand printed each print one color at a time. These old reprints are sought after for their meticulous attention to detail and color, rivaling the originals. Unlike the brighter, souvenir prints seen on the market these fine reprints show the attention to detail and careful color choices intended to exactly replicate the old originals. While the works of Utamaro, Harunobu, Choki, Hokusai and Hiroshige are known to many, the cost of old originals is prohibitive to all but a few. Purchasing a fine old reprint is an exciting and gratifying way to collect a beautiful old print at a small fraction of those costs.
