Heron Maiden
- Date:
- c. 1930
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art of Japan
$5,000–$40,000. Common subjects: $5,000–$10,000. Key value factors: Very limited output makes all prints relatively scarce. The 'Styles of Contemporary Make-up' series is most collected.
"Heron Maiden," from around 1930, depicts the figure from the classical Japanese legend of the Heron Maiden — a supernatural being who appears as a beautiful woman but is revealed to be a white heron in disguise. This mythological subject allowed Kobayakawa to synthesize bijin-ga with the rich tradition of supernatural feminine figures in Japanese art and literature, giving his characteristically modern woman an otherworldly dimension. The heron's white plumage translates into the pale skin and white garments of the maiden, creating a compositional poetry between bird and woman.
Not set
Woodblock print
1/1931
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
1924
Oil on board
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Heron Maiden was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in c. 1930.
Heron Maiden was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1930).
Heron Maiden depicts birds & flowers.
