surimono (?) / diptych print
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban diptych
- Source:
- British Museum
Typical Price
- Later impression or reproduction: $100–$800
- Good later impression (Edo-period, some wear): $2,000–$8,000
- Good early impression (vivid color, metallic pigments): $8,000–$30,000
- Fine early impression (exceptional freshness, pristine): $30,000–$80,000
Surimono are privately commissioned prints of the highest printing quality, produced in small editions using luxurious techniques including metallic pigments, embossing (karazuri), and blind printing. Hokusai's surimono are among the most refined examples of Edo-period printing craft.
Description
This catalogue entry with the designation "[surimono](/glossary/surimono) (?) / [diptych](/glossary/diptych) print" indicates an unidentified or uncertain attribution, likely a two-sheet composition that may be a privately printed surimono whose commissioning context has not been established. The diptych format is consistent with Hokusai's production of multi-sheet compositions for poetry groups and merchant patrons throughout the early nineteenth century.
More Prints by Katsushika Hokusai
The Fishermen of Katase Hauling in Their Nets: The Purple Shell (Murasakigai)
1821
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban
Burdock Root (Kurama gobo), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Orange Orchids, from an untitled series of flowers
c. 1832
Color woodblock print; oban
More Figures Prints
Frequently Asked Questions
surimono (?) / diptych print was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎).
surimono (?) / diptych print depicts figures and daily life.