Black Vessel (Kuroi utsuwa)
by Toru Mabuchi
- Date:
- 1959
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; edition 20/20
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
by Toru Mabuchi
$400–$3,000. Common landscapes: $400–$1,000. Key value factors: Mabuchi's serene landscapes have a modest but loyal collector following.
A dark vessel, perhaps a bowl, vase, or container, occupies the center of this 1959 color woodblock print, the twentieth and final impression in an edition of twenty. The Japanese subtitle (Kuroi utsuwa) names the object with straightforward precision: black vessel. Mabuchi reduces the container to its essential curved form, using the darkness of the vessel's surface as a compositional anchor against lighter surroundings. The limited edition of just twenty impressions signals that Mabuchi valued quality over distribution, maintaining close control over each printed impression. As a [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) artist who carved and printed his own blocks, each impression in the edition bears the direct touch of the artist's hand rather than a commercial printer's interpretation.
Woodblock print
Hansen, yoru
1926
Color woodblock print
1915
Color woodblock print
Hansen, asa
1926
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Black Vessel (Kuroi utsuwa) was created by Toru Mabuchi (馬渕徹) in 1959.
Black Vessel (Kuroi utsuwa) depicts boats & ships.
