Utagawa Kunisada 
Chinese Woman and Butterflies, Surimono, 1820
Sheet size 20.6 x 18.2 cm
Poems by Shinrintei Komori.
Signed Gototei Kunisada ga
Superbly printed metallic (silver and gold) pigment and gauffrage details have been added during the printing process.
Surimono - Surimono are an exclusive subcategory of Japanese woodblock prints. Poetry clubs commissioned these designs for distribution to a small audience of members, most often as New Year's greetings. These privately published images included a wonderful range of subjects and lavish printing techniques such as embossing, burnishing, and metallic pigments. Since surimono were not sold commercially, the print runs were very small and original Edo era surimono are incredibly rare in the market today. These fine quality suriomono reprints offer a great way to collect these classic designs at an affordable price.