Posted by Gary G. on May 09, 1997 at 08:03:18:
In Reply to: cropping and wormage posted by C. K. Stinner on May 08, 1997 at 20:54:28:
: Hello from Kagawa, Japan -
:
: How does cropping and wormage affect
: the cost of ukiyo-e ?
: Thank you.
:
:
Cropping and wormage will effect the value of a
Japanese woodblock print, as will any flaw or damage.
Unlike the other abuses, however, one can have a very nice print
that has some worm holes and some of the paper trimmed off it's
edges. The reason being, that many prints that exhibit
these detriments remained in albums for a long period of time
and were protected from more serious abuse. A silkworm would
would eat it's way from the front cover of an album of prints to the back leaving an
irregular hole. Modest worm damage on an edge or in an unimportant area
can be tolerated or even repaired. Extensive wormage will give
the print a "swiss cheese" appearance rendering it quite
undesirable. Often prints were glued together, side to side and overlapping, in an
album and when an album was taken apart, some of each print was lost
or cropped (trimmed). As long as the trimming is slight and does not
substantially effect the appearance of the print, it is tolerable.
This is different than what an inexperienced framer would do to
make a print fit a frame.
On the upside, being in an album, preserved the print's color and general
condition. As long as the trimming and wormage are modest and not
distracting, the print will remain desirable, though less valuable than
the rare print in perfect condition.
A collector must always balance condition and rarity.