iban　異版

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Variant print. A woodblock print *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 that differs in some way from the accepted early printings, shozuri 初摺, or standard printings of a particular design. Strictly defined, this corresponds to the "variant state" used in Western print connoisseurship, and implies that the impression was taken from the original key block (though this key block may have been altered in some way). A looser definition includes later editions made from newly cut blocks, or even modern reproductive editions. The connoisseurship of Japanese woodblock prints is more complex in this respect than that of most Western old master prints. A large number of color blocks or special printing effects were employed in addition to the key block, any of which may have been altered, substituted or left out from impression to impression. The idea of variant states iban thus overlaps with that of early printings, shozuri and later printings *atozuri 後摺; during which the number of color blocks and printing effects used was reduced as a matter of course, to save expense. Unequivocal examples of iban -- variant states in which the key block was altered in some way -- include: 1 cases in which woodblocks for actor prints were reused at a later date, the head of the previous actor being cut out and that of the new actor being plugged in; and 2 certain designs, such as Morning View of Nihonbashi Bridge Nihombashi asa no kei 日本橋朝之景 and Totsuka; The Motomachi Detour Totsuka motomachi betsudou 戸塚元町別道 in the series The Fifty-three Post-stations along the Toukaidou Highway *Toukaidou gojuusantsugi no uchi 東海道五十三次之内 (published by Hoeidou 保永堂, c. 1833-34) by Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (also known as Andou 安藤 Hiroshige ;1797-1858), in which a particular area of the key block was recut at some time in the edition to change the number of figures and their positions in the composition.

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