Zuigetsu Ikeda Orchids 3 Woodcut Fine Art Japan 20x17 framed Matted VTG 1940s

Printed signature, lower right, '池田瑞月' for Ikeda Zuigetsu (Japanese, 1877-1944); additionally printed, lower right, 'うちだ元版' (Uchida Publishing) Framed dimensions: 20 x 14.75 inches. Born in Kanazawa, Zuigetsu Ikeda was a naturalist and horticultural artist who traveled throughout prewar Japan, cataloging the diverse flora of his homeland. His masterpiece was the series of woodcuts titled 'Ranka-fu' or 'A Record of an Orchid Collection' from which the present piece is drawn. Commissioned by orchid cultivator and enthusiast Kaga Shôtarô during the 1930s, Zuigetsu worked on creating the designs from which the woodblocks would be created. Kaga was concerned about the survival of his orchid collection in Kyoto at his Villa Oyamazaki, which at its peak had housed 10,000 plants, and he selected woodblock printing as the appropriate method to capture the memory of his orchids. Zuigetsu passed away before the completion of the project, and due to Kaga’s changed fortunes after World War II, only