Black-naped Oriole and Chinese Rose - Katsushika Hokusai

The artwork

The "Black-naped Oriole and Chinese Rose" by Katsushika Hokusai is one of the most fascinating naturalistic depictions in 19th-century Japanese art. This composition, made as a faithful reproduction on Amalfi paper, captures the delicacy of the exotic bird in a perfect balance of form, colour and silence, expressing all the artistic sensibility of the ukiyo-e master.

The work belongs to Hokusai's naturalistic output, in which birds and flowers become protagonists in their own right, reflecting the interest in close observation of the natural world typical of Japanese culture at the time. The black-naped oriole is depicted with great graphic and chromatic precision, while the Chinese rose introduces a dialogue between different species and an almost encyclopaedic taste. The image, intended for a cultured yet also decorative market, expresses the balance between linear elegance, refined polychrome printing and scientific sensibility that characterises Hokusai's late phase, contemporary with the famous period of the “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade