Flower, 2002

Medium:: Woodblock print
Source:: Harvard Art Museums

Typical Price

Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.

Common examples: $100–$500
Good impressions: $500–$2,000
Premium/scarce: $2,000–$10,000

Description

A flower subject, likely from the same 2002 dated group as the Snow and Moon prints associated with Henmi, suggesting either posthumous printing, a misdating, or attribution questions. The flower in Japanese printmaking carries both specific botanical meaning — the species identifying season, place, and literary association — and the general sense of ephemeral beauty that defines the aesthetic philosophy of mono no aware. Henmi's approach to natural subjects was mediated through his poetic sensibility, the flower as much a lyric image as a visual one.