Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Japanese Print Collection
Introduction
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Japanese Print Collection
A lifelong supporter of the arts, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (1874-1948), a daughter of Rhode Island senator Nelson W. Aldrich and the wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., assembled a remarkable collection of Japanese woodblock prints. While Mrs. Rockefeller’s interest in art was not limited to works from Japan, one of her early passions was for bird-and-flower prints, or kachoga. Her collection also included surimono, or “printed things,” which were published privately and distributed among small groups, especially as New Year greetings. Surimono are known for extravagant techniques such as embossing and an abundant use of metallic pigments. In all, Mrs. Rockefeller donated more than 700 Japanese prints to the RISD Museum.
The works in this gallery, drawn from a 1934 exhibition commemorating Mrs. Rockfeller’s gift, were made by specialists working together in a collaborative process. After the artist drew the design, carvers cut the outline, or key block, in cherrywood, and then made separate blocks for each color in the print. Printers inked the blocks and printed them in succession, carefully aligning the registration. Mass produced in Edo, or Tokyo, in the 18th and 19th centuries, woodblock prints were acquired by a rising middle class and purchased as souvenirs by travelers.
In 1952, architect Philip Johnson was commissioned by Mrs. Rockefeller’s sons, Nelson and David, and her sister, Lucy Truman Aldrich, to design a room for the continuous exhibition of her Japanese prints at the RISD Museum. Originally located on the east side of this floor, the room has been recreated here to Johnson’s specifications.
Emily Peters
Exhibition images
