White Lilies – Ohara Koson

White lilies, pure and luminous. Large white trumpet lilies open towards the light on tall stems clothed in long, narrow green leaves, their golden stamens glowing at the heart of each flower. A few buds wait to bloom. The pale, misty background gives the composition the stillness of a summer morning.

Lilies have been cultivated in Japan for centuries, and Japanese species, exported in great numbers from the 19th century, transformed Western gardens. Koson catches their elegance with a few precise lines and flat areas of colour, the very essence of the Japanese print.

Why it works on your wall

• Elegant and serene: white, green and grey for a bedroom, a bathroom or a hallway
• Minimal and timeless: a refined image that suits both modern and classic interiors
• Framing tip: a thin black or white frame with a wide mount suits its quiet palette; hang it next to Koson’s Blue Irises

The woodblock print

Ohara Koson (1877–1945), born in Kanazawa, was one of the great masters of kachō-e, Japanese prints of birds and flowers. Trained as a painter, he designed hundreds of woodblock prints, and from 1926 worked with the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō, the driving force behind the shin-hanga (“new prints”) movement. His prints, very popular in Europe and America, are now held by the great museums of the world.

• Artist: Ohara Koson (1877–1945)
• Date: early 20th century
• Technique: colour woodblock print
• Theme: lilies, Japanese flowers, summer

Your print

• Colours restored from a high-definition scan of the original
• Printed in Europe on thick archival matte paper, FSC certified
• From A4 to A0, plus 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 70×100 cm and 12×18 to 27×40 inch sizes, all made for standard frames
• Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube

Pair it with Koson’s Blue Irises, or explore our Ohara Koson prints and Japanese woodblock prints.