Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)
Crows in flight at sunrise
Signature: Hachijûichi-ô Zeshin (81-year old man Zeshin)
Seal: Zeshin
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya)
Date: 1887
Size: Shikishiban, 23 x 23,5 cm (image size)
An early impression in excellent printing and colour quality. Minor trimming, old album mounting, some negligible creases near bottom, overall excellent condition.
Probably Zeshin’s most famous print - a daring design in which the artist’s signature and seal are crucial elements of the composition.
Crows, particularly when associated with the rising sun, are considered as messengers of the gods in Japan.
Milne Henderson, Zeshin & Related Artists, London, n.d. (1978), No. 5
Cf. Rappard-Boon, The Age of Yoshitoshi. Japanese prints from the Meiji- and Taishô period. Amsterdam, 1990, S. 16f, No. 11. The New wave, p. 78, fig. 33. Also compare Rijksmuseum Coll. No. RP-P-1978-147, Freer Sackler No. S1997.72 a.o.
sold