Hiroshige Fan Prints

Rating:
Summary: Full colour reproductions of ALL the V&A Hiroshige Fans.
Review: If you are interested in Japanese woodblock prints or collect fans then you MUST buy this book. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London (V&A) holds the world's largest collection of Hiroshige fan prints (126 prints).

All the prints in the museum's collection are reproduced in full colour in this book. Where the prints have been identified in a series, they are shown in that order in the book, and also in date and subject order.

This book has been long overdue for both people interested in Hiroshige and for fan collectors, and what we have here is a both a gorgeous book, and a great source of knowlege and for reference.

Rating:
Summary: Full colour reproductions of ALL the V&A Hiroshige Fans.
Review: If you are interested in Japanese woodblock prints or collect fans then you MUST buy this book. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London (V&A) holds the world's largest collection of Hiroshige fan prints (126 prints).

All the prints in the museum's collection are reproduced in full colour in this book. Where the prints have been identified in a series, they are shown in that order in the book, and also in date and subject order.

This book has been long overdue for both people interested in Hiroshige and for fan collectors, and what we have here is a both a gorgeous book, and a great source of knowlege and for reference.

Rating:
Summary: a small gem with great depth and beauty
Review: Modestly sized in comparison to most books on Japanese woodblock prints and relatively modest in its scope, "Hiroshige's Fan Prints" could easily be overlooked. But this book--another gem in the Victoria & Albert's series on its Japanese art collection--is worth both a second look and a prized place in your library. The book has beautiful reproductions of more than 125 color prints that the artist Hiroshige created in the nineteenth-century for mounting on the stiff "uchiwa" fans used in the summer months. The text reflects the careful research and clear writing of Rupert Faulkner, the assistant curator of the V&A's Japanese collection. Each text entry provides a richly detailed-mix of information about the artistic quality, substantive symbolism, and literary allusions (where applicable) of each print reproduced. The identification of censor, dating, and publishing seals and a frank assessment of which pieces are likely restrikes provide an added bonus: guideposts for any collector of "ukiyoe" prints who seeks to develop an educated eye for quality and authenticity.

Rating:
Summary: a small gem with great depth and beauty
Review: Modestly sized in comparison to most books on Japanese woodblock prints and relatively modest in its scope, "Hiroshige's Fan Prints" could easily be overlooked. But this book--another gem in the Victoria & Albert's series on its Japanese art collection--is worth both a second look and a prized place in your library. The book has beautiful reproductions of more than 125 color prints that the artist Hiroshige created in the nineteenth-century for mounting on the stiff "uchiwa" fans used in the summer months. The text reflects the careful research and clear writing of Rupert Faulkner, the assistant curator of the V&A's Japanese collection. Each text entry provides a richly detailed-mix of information about the artistic quality, substantive symbolism, and literary allusions (where applicable) of each print reproduced. The identification of censor, dating, and publishing seals and a frank assessment of which pieces are likely restrikes provide an added bonus: guideposts for any collector of "ukiyoe" prints who seeks to develop an educated eye for quality and authenticity.