A white heron perches on a snow-laden branch by night

A single white heron stands on a snow-covered branch against a solid black night sky flecked with falling snow. The bird's plumage is rendered in fine unpainted outline against the dark ground, its long bill and thin dark leg the only sharp accents in an otherwise near-monochrome composition. The artist's signature '祥邨' (Shōson) and red seal sit at lower right. Painted under the Shōson signature Koson used later in his career, this print belongs to a series of bird-and-snow studies he produced for the export market between the mid-1920s and mid-1930s.

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.