About This Print and the Series Seihō's Masterpieces
This print titled Wind and Clear Water (detail), was released on February 20, 1938 as part of the first of two sets of sixty-six prints titled Seiho's Masterpieces (a.k.a. Seihō's Masterworks), printed and issued by Unsōdō Publishing. This print, which is also in the Spencer Collection at the New York Public Library, was issued as one of three prints in the fifth envelope of set one. The colophon, shown below, pasted to the envelope, gives the dates of printing and issue, the titles of the prints, copyright information, and information about the publisher.
A combination of print processes (see further discussion see the article "Takeuchi Seihō: Seihō's Masterpieces.") were used for this series and this particular print is a collotype1 as can be seen by the reticulated pattern in the below detail, an artifact of the collotype process.
This print uses the "detail" of the bird on the rock found in the print Wind and Clear Water and gives it a slightly different color treatment. It is the only print in either of the two sets comprising Seihō's Masterpieces that is not a unique image.
Click on image to see the reticulated pattern identifying this print as a collotype.
Colophon Envelope 5 Set One
Dated February 20, 1938
Date of issue reads Showa 13 (1938), 2nd month, 20th day
Date of printing reads Showa 13 (1938), 2nd month, 15th day
click on image to enlarge
Dated February 20, 1938
Date of issue reads Showa 13 (1938), 2nd month, 20th day
Date of printing reads Showa 13 (1938), 2nd month, 15th day
click on image to enlarge
The Series "Seihō's Masterpieces"
For images of all sixty-six prints and a description of the series, please go to the article "Takeuchi Seihō: Seihō's Masterpieces."Print Details
IHL Catalog | #875 |
Title | Wind and Clear Water (detail) To the left is the label attached to the rear of the sheet the print is tipped to. It reads: 水風清 (部分)Across the top: 不許複製 All rights reserved Rightmost column: 竹内栖鳳先生筆 Takeuchi Seihō sensei hitsu with title of print 水風清 (部分)to its left. Leftmost column: 芸艸堂 publisher's name Unsōdō, copyright restrictions and addresses of Unsōdō's offices in Kyoto and Tokyo. |
Series | Seihō's Masterpieces (栖鳳逸品集 Seihō's ippin shū) (set 1) |
Artist | Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942) |
Signature | Seihō hitsu |
Seal | unread seal as shown above |
Publication Date | February 20, 1938 (as printed on colophon for envelope 5 containing the print) |
Edition | original and only edition |
Publisher | Unsōdō Publishing |
Printer | Shinmi Saburō 新味 三朗 |
Impression | excellent |
Colors | excellent |
Condition | excellent |
Miscellaneous | removed from its original heavy paper backing/matting, but still with original mat. |
Genre | nihonga (also classed as e-hon, as the series prints exist as bound volumes) |
Format | non-standard |
H x W Paper | 10 5/8 x 14 1/4 in. (27 x 36.2 cm ) |
Collections This Print | New York Public Library, Spencer Collection; Rijksmuseum RP-P-2005-615-1 |
Reference Literature | The Artist and the Book in Japan, Roger S. Keyes, The University of Washington Press with New York Public Library, December 2006, p. 252-253; The Art of the Japanese Book, 2 vols., Jack Hillier, Sotheby's Publications, 1987, p. 992-993. |
2/20/2020