illustrated book; print

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Object Type: illustrated book; print
Museum number: 1979,0305,0.92.2
Title: Object: Unpitsu soga 運筆麁画 (The Moving Brush in 'Rough' Painting)
Description: Illustrated book. Vol. 2 of three volumes. Woodblock technique for the 'rough' (so) style. Woodblock-printed.
Producer name: Print artist: Tachibana Morikuni 橘守国; Published by: Nishimura Genroku; Published by: Shibukawa Seiemon; Published by: Shibukawa Yozaemon
Cultures/periods: Edo Period; Kan'en Era
Production date: 1749
Production place: Published in: Edo; Published in: Osaka-shi
Materials
Technique
Dimensions: Height: 25.70 centimetres; Width: 18.20 centimetres
Curator's comments: Hillier and Smith 1980 Morikuni's preface deals with the technique of the 'so' or cursive style in painting, featuring rapid brush strokes reminiscent of a sketch. The woodblock technique is an early example of the method of securing gradated tonal effects by 'lowering' or scraping certain areas of the blocks and thus approaching the appearance of real brushwork more closely. Literature: Brown, Louise Norton, 'Block Printing and Book Illustration in Japan', London and New York, 1924, pp. 64-5. Toda, Kenji, 'Descriptive Catalogue of the Japanese and Chinese Illustrated Books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago', Chicago, 1931, p. 319.
Bibliographic references: Hillier & Smith 1980 / Japanese Prints: 300 Years of Albums and Books (24); Hillier 1987 / The Art of the Japanese Book (Figs. 139-140)
Location: Not on display
Subjects
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1979
Department: Asia
Registration number: 1979,0305,0.92.2
Additional IDs: Previous owner/ex-collection number: JH.92 (Hillier no.)

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