A beautiful leaping carp image, Soseki was a contemporary of Koson, producing exquisite kacho-e prints of the highest quality but barely known until the Muller Collection. A rarely seen print.
The Woodblock Print
This tanzaku measures approximately 7 3/8″ x 13 5/8″ and is in fine condition, consistent with the other copies we’ve seen. There is faint mat lines from the presentation folder it was published in, and it has been professionally backed with washi paper after being removed from cardboard. Full untrimmed margins.
About the Artist
As with many shin-hanga artists of the early 20th century, surprisingly little is known about artist Komori Soseki (sometimes known as Shoseki) who worked throughout the 1920s and 1930s creating beautiful woodblock designs in the kacho-e (flora and fauna) tradition. While many of his prints were found in the collection of famous art dealer Robert O. Muller in 2003, his biography is still a blank slate. Subsequent sales and acquisitions have raised his public profile, revealing a mysterious printmaker with a strong sense of color and form.
