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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Two Geese and Breaking Waves. c.1916
- Category
- Japanese | Nature
- Publisher
- Not known.
koban, 9.0 cm × 15.7 cm
Very good impression, exquisite detail to the printing. Some folio residue on the back, otherwise very good condition.
Two wild geese take flight over the crest of a wave. An early koban format print by the prolific nature designer, Koson. This small design was featured in International Harper's Weekly Magazine in 1916. Signed Koson with Koson seal.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Insect next to flowering wisteria. c.1910
- Category
- Japanese | Nature
- Publisher
- Daikokuya
o-tanzaku, 18.5 cm × 34.5 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition.
Ohara Koson covered the whole gamut of the natural world in his oeuvre, and has turned his attention to insects in this work. This is a perfect example of the other worldliness in his art, the insect flying around the delicate wisteria. This copy is the paler (and more aesthetically appealing pale lilac, compared to the more robust pink impression. Signed and sealed Koson.
£500
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Autumn grasses, flowers and moon.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya
o-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 34.0 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition. A beautiful Koson design.
A prevailing theme in Japanese art of the moon, viewed through autumn grasses, known by depictions of Musashino Moor (Musashino). This theme was developed by artists through the Momoyama period. (1568-1600), and often explored by ukiyo-e artists, notably in the Musashino beauties triptych by Utamaro. With the red Koson seal.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Carrion Crow perched on a branch.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya
yoko o-tanzaku, 37.0 cm × 20.0 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition.
A carrion crow sits on a branch. Published c.1910 by Daikokuya. Signed Koson with Koson seal.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Tree Sparrow on Plum Branch.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya.
shikishiban, 26.0 cm × 26.0 cm
Very good impression, colour and condition.
A tree sparrow (passer montanus) sits on the branch of a flowering plum, the fresh blossoms profuse in early February. Something has caught the attention of the bird, recognisable by its chestnut brown head and collar. It stares at the ground with a beady eye, ready to fly away with keen intent. Birds are something of a recurring motif in Koson's output; he produced over 450 designs dedicated to the avian world. Signed and sealed Koson.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Two tits on the branch of a tree. c.1910
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya
o-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 33.1 cm
Very good impression, colour and condition.
Koson was a prolific designer of bird and plant pictures, kacho-e. The muted palette of this design is enlivened with the bright red accent of ivy leaves, wrapped around the tree trunk. Koson uses the narrow o-tanzaku format to create an arresting visual perspective with the trees stretching upwards in the winter mist. In the foreground, two tits sit on a branch.
Signed Koson, seal Koson. Reference: Pg. 183 K29.12 Crows, cranes & camellias. Hotei Publishing. ISBN 90-74822-38
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Cawing Crow on a Snowy Branch. c.1930
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Nishinomiya Yosaku.
dai-oban, 26.8 cm × 42.4 cm
Excellent impression and condition.
A jungle crow, distinguishable by the thick black plumage and heavy bill, caws on a snow covered branch. The jungle crow is believed to be the messenger of the founding deities in the Shinto religion and a symbol of power in Japanese mythology. Koson creates a desolate winter vista with the grey background in the large dai-oban format.
Signed Koson. Reference: Pg.171 K5.15 Crows, Cranes and Camelias. Hotei Publishing. ISBN 90-74822-38-x
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
A silhouetted bird. c.1910
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya.
ō-tanzaku, 19.2 cm × 36.2 cm
Excellent early impression with strong woodgrain. Excellent colour and condition.
The silhouette of a bird, seen through a sheet of rain, flies over a begonia evansiana.
Signed Koson with Koson seal. Reference: Crows, Cranes & Camelias. (without seal) Hotei Publishing. Plate 90. Page 103.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Herons Wading. c.1910.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Kokkeido (Kokkeido and Koson seals)
o-tanzaku, 18.3 cm × 34.7 cm
Excellent impression and colour. Very faint dust line along the top, otherwise very good condition.
Two grey herons (Ardea cinera) wade through shallow water in the pouring rain, one lifts its head as if to call whilst the second appears to have been distracted by something in the water. Lotus plants float in the water around the birds. Koson has exploited the vertical orientation of the print to emphasise the long neck of the heron. Signed and sealed Koson.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Monkey on a Branch. c.1910
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Daikokuya.
ō-tanzaku, 18.7 cm × 36.5 cm
Excellent impression and colour. Minor fox marks upper margin, barely perceptible, and pencil notation top margin au verso, otherwise very good condition.
A monkey sits on the branch of a tree, underneath a glowing orange persimmon, a canonic subject in Japanese art. The painter, Sosen (1747-1821) founder of the Mori school in Osaka, influenced Koson in style and subject with his depiction of monkeys. Koson's involvement in print production was closely affiliated with his work as a Nihonga painter, and this lends to the painterly quality of his work. Here he exploits the woodgrain of the block to add texture to the background.
Signed Koson, sealed Koson.
ref: Plate 30, Page 57. Newland, Perree, Schaap "Crows, Cranes and Camelias"
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
White Fronted Goose. c.1910
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Kokkeido. Kokkeido and Koson seals.
o-tanzaku yoko-e, 35.6 cm × 20.0 cm
Excellent early impression and excellent condition. Full margins.
A white fronted goose soars in front of the full moon. Koson was a prolific designer of kachoga-e (pictures of birds and flowers) and the majority of his output was devoted to this medium. This print exemplifies his fine design, muted palette and painterly effect. Signed Koson, sealed Koson. Kokkeidō seal.
Reference: Crow, Cranes and Camelias. Pg. 183 K.11.7 Hotei Publishing. IBSN 9789004181069.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Kingfisher with Lotus Flower.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Series
- n/a
- Publisher
- Nishinomiya Yosaku.
dai-ôban tate-e, 26.5 cm × 45.0 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition. The lotus flower is embossed.
A kingfisher, dwarfed by a white lotus flower in full bloom, alights a bent twig and watches the shallow water with keen intent.
Koson seal. Copyright owned by Nishinomiya Yosaku in the left margin. This edition without the Koson signature is likely to be from the 1940's. Provenance: Robert Muller Collection.
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KOSON Ohara (1876-1945)
Man Washing a Horse. c 1900-1910.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Publisher
- Kokkeidō
yoko tanzaku, 38.1 cm × 12.7 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition.
A man washes his horse, silhouetted by the moonlight. A willow branch extends over the shallow water.
Koson designed several silhouette prints in the narrow tanzuku format. Signed Koson, seal Koson and the pre-1910 Kokkeidō seal.
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