Description
In this rare woodblock print of the mid 19th century we can admire two of the phases of the traditional Japanese silk production process: the figure in the foreground is intent in sorting the cocoons that are subjected to the reeling, that is immersion in hot water and extraction of raw silk, by the woman in the background.
The work, taken from a series entitled “Leaves Feeding Silkworms” (かいこやしない草), depicts steps number 7 (七) and 8 (八) of the production and was made, around 1860, by the artist Utagawa Yoshikazu (歌川芳員).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), produced by the publisher Izumiya Ichibei (和泉屋市兵衛), owner of Kansendo (甘泉堂), despite the right signs of aging, is in good condition.
