<b>ASAKUSADERA, TOKYO</b> / Negoro Raizan1922<B>SOLD</B></em>
ARTIST: Negoro Raizan (1877–?)
TITLE: Asakusadera, Tokyo
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1922
DIMENSIONS: 14 3/4 x 9 3/8
CONDITION: Excellent
PROVENANCE: Robert O. Muller
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, pl. 202
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SOLD
ARTIST: Negoro Raizan (1877–?)
TITLE: Asakusadera, Tokyo
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1922
DIMENSIONS: 14 3/4 x 9 3/8
CONDITION: Excellent
PROVENANCE: Robert O. Muller
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, pl. 202
.
SOLD
ARTIST: Negoro Raizan (1877–?)
TITLE: Asakusadera, Tokyo
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1922
DIMENSIONS: 14 3/4 x 9 3/8
CONDITION: Excellent
PROVENANCE: Robert O. Muller
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Stephens, gen. ed., The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, pl. 202
.
SOLD
Details
Snow blankets the Asakusadera temple and its surrounding complex, creating a serene and enchanting scene. The entire landscape is rendered in white and tones of gray, which provide a striking contrast to the vibrant red of the temple structure. A lone figure in blue braves the determined elements, making their way to the temple entrance. The composition is imbued with a poignant atmospheric quality, endowing it with a poetic power that only woodblock prints can achieve.
Connoisseur's Note
This striking impression features an active woodgrain throughout the background, animating the composition with a strong atmospheric quality. The subtle gray tones, executed with skillful bokashi shading, enhance the poetic charm of the design, creating a harmonious and evocative scene.
Asakusadera, Tokyo is a highly sought-after pre-earthquake design, and as such, rarely comes up for sale. This woodblock print was acquired by Robert O. Muller, the famed shin hanga collector, on his trip to Japan in the late 1930s, and has never been framed or displayed. The print’s colors and condition are a testimony to the care it received.