Ducks in Water
- Date:
- c. 1928–1930
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 38.5 × 21.6 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Key value factors: Edition order (first Watanabe/Doi printing vs. posthumous reprints) is crucial. Snow scenes, night views, and bijin-ga typically command premiums. Publisher seals and artist signatures authenticate first editions.
Two ducks float together on calm water, their feathered bodies reflected in subtle ripples below. Komori Soseki produced this ink and color woodblock print around 1928-1930, during the height of shin-hanga publishing in Japan. The composition places the birds slightly off-center, a choice rooted in classical Japanese aesthetic principles that favor asymmetry. Soseki's printer achieved delicate tonal shifts in the water through careful bokashi shading, while the ducks themselves are rendered with precise carved lines that pick out individual feathers. The quiet, unhurried mood of the scene reflects the kacho-e tradition of bird-and-flower pictures that Soseki made central to his body of work.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Ducks in Water was created by Komori Soseki (小森漱石) in c. 1928–1930.
Ducks in Water depicts birds & flowers and rivers & lakes.
Ducks in Water measures 38.5 × 21.6 cm.
