Woodblock Print by Ohara Koson: Mallards in Snow

One mallard keeps watch while the other has clearly given up on the day.

Mallards in Snow is a Japanese woodblock print by Ohara Koson (1877-1945), ca. 1910, ink on paper. Koson is widely known for his kacho-e, prints of birds and flowers, many of them made for export to Western buyers. A drake with a glossy green head stands on a snowy bank, while a hen tucks herself down beside him. Snow-laden reeds rise at the right against a soft gray sky, with the grain of the woodblock showing through. A red seal and signature sit at the lower right. It is 7.5 inches wide and 14.3 high.

Snow has never looked so restful, at least for one of them.