A woodpecker grips a bark trunk laced with scarlet ivy

A great spotted woodpecker clings to the grey bark of a tree trunk climbed by red ivy, its black-and-white barred plumage, red nape and crimson under-tail set against a plain buff ground. Bare grey branches with a few brown leaves spread overhead, and loose leaves drift down through the air. The signature and seal sit at lower left among the ivy. The angular bird against the soft sweep of autumn ivy is characteristic of Koson's bird-and-flower prints.

Ohara Koson (1877–1945) was the leading bird-and-flower (kachō-ga) artist of the shin-hanga movement. Trained in Kanazawa and Tokyo in the Shijō painting tradition, he designed prints from around 1900, first for export publishers and from 1926 for Watanabe Shōzaburō under the name Shōson. Herons in snow, crows on a branch, goldfish and sparrows are drawn with a naturalist's precision and printed with soft gradations and embossed feathers. His prints are held by the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.