This print shows several women in a room together. The woman to the center left has a book open, to her left is a man at a short table, leaning over it to observe her. A woman carrying a box is behind the man, also watching the woman with the book. A third woman is to the far left, either placing or removing scrolls from a storage cabinet.

Weight (lbs): 0.25
Height (In.): 10.25
Width (In.): 14.5
Depth (In.): N/A
Size: 14.5X10.25
Maker: Utagawa School
Material: Paper
Date: 19th C
Provenance: N/A
Condition: Some wrinkling and discoloration to the print, minor fraying to the left side.
History: Woodblock printing in Japan ( moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Although similar to woodcut in Western printmaking in some regards, the moku-hanga technique differs in that it uses water-based inks—as opposed to western woodcut, which often uses oil-based inks. The Japanese water-based inks provide a wide range of vivid colors, glazes, and transparency.
Condition: Some wrinkling and discoloration to the print, minor fraying to the left side. History: Woodblock printing in Japan ( moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Although similar to woodcut in Western printmaking in some regards, the moku-hanga technique differs in that it uses water-based inks—as opposed to western woodcut, which often uses oil-based inks. The Japanese water-based inks provide a wide range of vivid colors, glazes, and transparency.