Description

An introduction to the art of surimono, illustrated with previously unpublished examples from the Ashmolean Museum's collections
The works included here have never-published before in any form
The poems included in the works have been translated into English

Because money was no object, surimono usually used the finest materials and printing techniques. Most consisted of a picture combined with related poems, and the arrangement of the illustration and the calligraphic text was often very beautifully designed. Exquisite in design and technique and usually small in size, surimono have been described as 'jewels of Japanese printmaking' and have great visual appeal. Despite this, this will be the first time that the Ashmolean's collection of surimono, mostly from the Jennings-Spalding Gift and containing a number of rare and previously unpublished prints, has ever been catalogued.