Katsushika Hokusai’s Great Wave Woodblock Print is at least 50 years old

Description: Katsushika Hokusai’s Great Wave Woodblock Print is at least 50 years old. Measurements of the overall size of the print (edge to edge) are 6-5/8 inches high by 8-5/8 inches wide. Orientation is landscape. I acquired this beautiful old print last year at one of my favorite thrift stores where household items from local estates are routinely donated. I remember picking up the framed print to examine it, and not knowing anything about the Great Wave, my first thought was “this is weird looking.” I placed it back on the shelf and continued to look around the store. As I shopped around I couldn’t stop thinking about that odd framed print I saw earlier. About 30 minutes later I changed my mind and purchased it. After bringing it home and reading up on it, I’m really glad that I changed my mind. This Great Wave woodblock print was created sometime before 1972. It’s possible that it could be much older than that. Based upon the evidence stamped on the back of the frame, it was professionally placed in its frame in Pensacola, Florida on November 18, 1972 by a company named Fischler Custom Framing Art-Restoration. I have attempted to locate this company and not been successful so I can only assume they are out of business today. I have included a picture of their stamp on the back of the frame. This woodblock print has been sealed inside of this frame since 1972. The reason I know this is because the tape that was holding the print in the frame and the print to the matting is original and had not been disturbed (until I removed it) since it was stamped in 1972. Therefore, this print must be at least 50 years old. It also has the visual telltale signs of natural age. On the back of this print is a truncated (cut and spliced) old partial copy of a statement about woodblock printing and reference to a company in Japan named Uchida Art Company, LTD. I can only assume that the person who had this print in Florida in 1972 had this old printed truncated statement also. The print was taped to the matting with (apparently old) craft tape, which I have removed. The area underneath the tape was not exposed to light for many years and also the removal of the tape pealed off a thin layer of the outer surface of the print where it was touching it around the outer edges. That is why you see the lighter area around the outside of the print. Also, the outer edges of the print was covered for decades by the matting and that also kept it a lighter color. The paper that this woodblock print was printed on seems to be very old and made using primitive, original techniques. It is unlike any paper that you can find today. It has a wooden-like consistency with a strange grainy pattern. When you examine the back of the print it has a texture that visually resembles the original woodblock prints of the Great Wave from the 1830s. I do not know who printed this woodblock print or exactly when it was printed, but whoever made it did a fantastic job. They stayed true to the original design and techniques. The woodblock printing processor appears to have used the same materials and techniques as the original printers from the 1830’s . Also, when you look at this print with a light shining through it, you can see the familiar but faint grid-pattern lines that also lightly show up on the original prints from the 1830s. Interestingly enough, when you shine a regular incandescent light bulb through the print, it shows up as a rusty orange color and when you shine a LED flashlight through it, it shows up as a greenish color. I have no idea why that is, but I thought it was interesting. You will notice these different colors shining through in my photos. I have examined many photographs and videos of the original (1830’s) prints of the Great Wave and many of them are very similar to each other, but also have minor differences. This is a long story that I will not get into now but there is a reason for the differences. My print also has some minor variations from the original 1830’s prints, but it is also very similar to them. After much reading and research, my suspicion is that this Great Wave was printed sometime in the late 19th to middle 20th century range. I do not believe this is an 1830s original, but nonetheless, it is very old. This print must have taken many hours and the artist went to great lengths to replicate the original prints of Katsushika Hokusai, Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa). One other interesting note about this print is you can see what appears to be two finger prints on the bottom middle and bottom left of the print where the technician moved it when the ink was not dry. If you examine the 1830s original prints, you will see the same type of marks on some of them. I do not know the true value of my print but I do know that it is very old and in many ways very similar to the original prints which used the same production techniques in the 1830s. It also has been well preserved in a frame throughout these many decades. As I mentioned earlier, this print could easily date back much earlier than 1972. As you can tell by the high resolution pictures in this listing, this is not a modern-day Xerox copy of a Great Wave. This is a beautiful, original woodblock print from a long time ago by a highly trained and knowledgeable woodblock technician who stayed true to the original techniques. It will make an absolute stunning art display in your home or business. The original frame that you see in the photos will be included with the print. During the shipping process the frame and print will be separated and segregated from each other and will be in the same box. This will reduce the risk of damage to the print. During the shipping journey the print will be securely padded and placed between two blocks of wood for protection. Feel free to ask any questions. Thank you for shopping with me!

Price: 8000 USD

Location: Roanoke, Virginia

End Time: 2024-08-29T14:13:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD