Koson 小原古邨 : Pair of White Cockatoos against a Green Ground (SOLD)

Artist: Ohara Koson 古邨 (1877-1945)

Title: Two White Cockatoos on a Red Bar  Date: ca. 1930

Two White Cockatoos on a Red Bar. Although the birds have famously white plumage, the bird on the right has pink outlines to its feathers and crest, and bird on the left has yellow on the feathers and crest. One bird raises its right leg, as if in conversation, its beak also open. The feathers also feature blindprinting, giving them extra raised textures. The birds perch on a bright red bar, with a blue feeding cup seen to the left. The background is a deep, unusual green. In 1930 or so Koson published works with the publisher Kawaguchi; these works are signed Hoson, rather than Koson or Shoson. The level of the printing quality with this publisher is just as high as with Watanabe, perhaps even higher; they also are larger in size, and tend to be bolder in colors. This design is also known with a back background. With the carver and printer’s seals in the left margin, and the Kawaguchi seal in the lower right margin. With the "Made in Japan" seal, verso, that was affixed to works exported from Japan in the late 1920s-early 1930s.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Mint.
Dimensions: 37.2 x 27 cm
Literature: Joan B. Mirviss, Chris Uhlenbeck, Marije Jansen, Henk Herwig. Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-century Japanese prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection. Washington and Amsterdam, 2004. cat. 32, p. 57. Crows, Cranes and Camellias (2001), checklist H36.1.Smithsonian has this version with green background and an alternate version with black background.
Seal: Kawaguchi  Signature: Hoson

SKU: KOS240