Eggplants in a Basket Surimono

by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Current Status

Eggplants in a Basket Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Hokkei (1780 - 1850) Japanese Woodblock Reprint
Eggplants in a Basket Surimono

From an untitled series of Three Lucky Dreams

Surimono - Surimono are an exclusive subcategory of Japanese woodblock prints. Poetry clubs commissioned these designs for distribution to a small audience of members, most often as New Year's greetings. These privately published images included a wonderful range of subjects and lavish printing techniques such as embossing, burnishing, and metallic pigments. Since surimono were not sold commercially, the print runs were very small and original Edo era surimono are incredibly rare in the market today. These fine quality suriomono reprints offer a great way to collect these classic designs at an affordable price.

Eggplants in a Basket Surimono - Beautiful still-life surimono depicting two eggplants in an openwork basket lined with leaves, with a smaller eggplant resting nearby. A verse is written in calligraphy above. This design comes from Hokkei's untitled series of three New Year's surimono illustrating the "Three Lucky Dreams." A person who dreamed of Mt. Fuji, eggplants in a basket, and a falcon on a perch (the other subjects in the series), at New Year's, was believed to be lucky in the coming year. Nice rich color.

Artist - Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Image Size - 8 3/4" x 7 1/2" + left margin as shown

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. Light toning and spotting, a few creases and indented marks. Please see photos for details.

Eggplants in a Basket Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)
Eggplants in a Basket Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

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