Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries

Hello!

I hope I can get some help to find out the age and origin of my example of the woodblock print Sanka Hakuu by Katsushika Hokusai.

The edges of the print itself are a little uneven. The height is 244 mm and the width is 363 mm at the top and 361 mm at the bottom. The paper size is just a little bigger
The paper is thin with the colors visible from the back.

Thank you for any advice. Photos attached.

It does not appear to be an original. That means its pedigree is not very relevant. Frame, hang on wall, and enjoy.

Cheers,
Stan

Thanks Stan,
But how do you see that it's not an original? That's what I would like to know.

Arvid,

It's a matter of comparing with a known original. Since the best info I have is your shot of the title, I used that for comparison. Below, I attached titles from 2 Boston MFA prints to the right of yours.

You start by comparing the black block (the lines between the colored patches). In this case, it is the blue lines. Looking at the example below, the right stack of characters seems to have more space between the characters in your print than the MFA prints. The bottom character in that stack is obviously different. Also, note the top character in the cartouche. See how the bottom of yours has sharp corners while the MFA versions are rounded and bulge to the right. Obviously, the prints came from different blocks. You can do this over the whole print. I saw differences in the cloud patterns.

Plus, I am just playing the odds. This series of prints has been copied (literally) 1000s of times. Thus, odds of having an original are slim. ;-)

Cheers,
Stan

Thanks a lot Stan,
That was the kind of information I was looking for.
I could not see those details in the photos I had found.

From what I have found in auction descriptions there were color variations among the originals. One mentioned specifically the "blue outline", like in yours.

Thanks again,
Arvid

Here's our copy.

Cheers,
Stan

Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |