Iris by Mokucho (Yoshijuro) Urushibara, 1888-1953

Mokucho (Yoshijuro) Urushibara, 1888-1953
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Iris

Original woodcut printed in colours and with gold mica overprinting. c.1920. Signed in pencil. Numbered 51 in pencil from the edition of 60. Hand-printed and issued by
the artist.

Superb impression with beautiful colours and the most delicate glow from the mica overprint. On pale cream wove soft japan paper. Generally excellent condition. The paper surface etc excellent, the slightest sign of an old mount mark. Full small margins, as printed. Sheet: 19 3/4 x 7 3/8ins. Block: 17 7/8 x 6ins. (455x152mm).

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The woodcut above is an absolutely exceptional example of the beauty of form and subtlety of colour which marks Urushibara?a finest prints. In particular the overprinting of the gold mica tone gives these works a superb glow of light whilst remaining perfectly understated.

Urushibara was born in Tokyo but he moved to England in 1908 (with some visits to France, especially to the area around Menton). He was in many ways instrumental in introducing the traditional techniques of Japanese multi-block colour printing to England and he had a very considerable influence on the understanding and use of the woodblock as a medium in the years up to the Second War. Perhaps more important still was his personal and refined expression of the taste for oriental style which had had such a widespread effect on decoration and design in the 1920s and 30?s.