The "Ukiyo-e" style Hiroshige specialized in landscapes on woodblock prints.
Ando Hiroshige, also known as Utagawa Hiroshige, was a Japanese woodblock print artist of the 19th century. Although woodblock prints required multiple artists for its different engraving and inking processes, Hiroshige was the designer and put his signature on them. Hiroshige woodblock prints were considered part of the popular "ukiyo-e" style and depicted actual landscapes in brilliant colors.
Instructions
1. Inspect the level of wear on the supposed Hiroshige print for indications of the print's age. Utagawa Hiroshige practiced art from 1812 until his death in 1858. If the print does not have the kind of frayed edges or dulled colors that could be expected from nearly 200 years of wear, it's possibly not a vintage print.
2. Inspect the quality of the paper stock and ink to ascertain the probability of counterfeiting. Hiroshage's woodblock prints would have been printed on paper that is not as stiff and rougher to the touch than modern paper. The thickness of the paper stock may vary within the same print while modern paper would stay consistent. If the ink quality seems too modern this may also be the sign of a counterfeit.
3. Compare the artist's signature on a copy of an authenticated Hiroshige print to the artist's signature found in your supposed Hiroshige print. Artist signatures in Japanese woodblock prints are found on the left side of the print, generally near the bottom corner, and the characters are read from top to bottom. Copies of authenticated Hiroshige prints can be found in multiple online art databases.
4. Identify the censor's seal that should be found in one of the margins of the print, generally on the left side. Censor's seals were required for Japanese artworks starting in 1799 before they could be sold or shown to the public. Censor's seals are small and round in shape and should not appear on the actual image itself.
Tags: woodblock prints, Hiroshige print, artist signature, authenticated Hiroshige, Censor seals, Japanese woodblock, left side