Comments - Lovely Hokusai print showing workers in a large wooden boat collecting the leaves of water lilies. At right, a woman reaches a long-handled blade over the edge to cut a heavy stem, while her companions carefully stack the green foliage. The verse by the Heian era poet Bunya no Asayasu reads:

In the autumn fields,
When the heedless wind blows by
O'er the pure-white dew,
How the myriad unstrung gems
Everywhere are scattered round!

Beautiful rich color and soft shading in the water and sky. A very attractive composition.

Woodblock reprints - In the 20th century, artists and publishers collaborated to recreate famous woodblock prints for interested Japanese collectors and Westerners looking for rare designs. New blocks were made, and the prints were painstakingly printed by artisan printers in the same method as the 19th century originals - one block for each color. Woodblock reprints were an opportunity to collect and enjoy a famous design at a small fraction of the price of an original. They still are today.

Artist - Hokusai (1760 - 1849)

Image Size - 12 3/4" x 14 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Please see photos for details. Good overall