Pewter Shop, Soochow
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art of Japan
$1,000–$12,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$3,000. Key value factors: Korean and Chinese subjects tend to be more collected than Japanese scenes.
This [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print depicts a pewter shop in Soochow (Suzhou), recording the daily commerce of a Chinese city whose traditional craft economy was still intact when Keith visited. Pewterwork was a significant industry in Chinese cities, with artisans producing household vessels, ceremonial objects, and decorative items. Keith's composition frames the shop as both a commercial space and a visual subject, with the gleaming pewter wares providing reflective surfaces that contrast with the darker interior. The shopkeeper and any customers present become participants in a scene of urban craft culture. Keith's market and shop subjects are among her most engaging works, combining architectural framing with human activity in compositions that reward close examination of the details embedded throughout the scene.
Woodblock print
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print; oban
c. 1922
Color woodblock print
行商人
c. 1940
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Pewter Shop, Soochow was created by Elizabeth Keith (エリザベス・キース).
Pewter Shop, Soochow was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Pewter Shop, Soochow depicts market scenes.
