Crows on snowy branch
by Ito Sozan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
by Ito Sozan
$200–$1,500. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Ito Sozan's bird-and-flower prints are charming and affordably priced. Well-preserved examples with vivid color are most valued.
Crows on Snowy Branch refines the crows-in-snow subject by placing the birds on a specific perch: a tree limb weighted with snow. This compositional choice anchors the birds within a defined spatial relationship, the horizontal branch providing a stage on which the crows can be observed at close range. Snow accumulating on a branch is one of the classic visual motifs of Japanese winter art, and adding crows introduces a dynamic element, the birds' weight might shake loose the snow at any moment, creating anticipation within the still image. Sozan carves the feather details with enough precision to distinguish individual crows while keeping the snow softly rendered to contrast with the birds' hard, dark forms. The [oban](/glossary/oban) format provides space for the branch to extend across the composition.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Crows on snowy branch was created by Ito Sozan (伊藤宗山).
Crows on snowy branch depicts snow scenes.
