Two ducks bank low over snow-laden reeds

A pair of ducks bank low in flight over reeds heavy with snow: the leading drake with a dark green head and yellow bill spreads its wings wide, the brown hen just behind with wings raised. Pale blue water shows beneath the snow-laden reed tips. The sky graduates from pale blue-green near the horizon to deeper blue above. A round red seal sits at right, level with the lead bird's wingtip.

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.