"Black cat might have been done after the print"
Email received December 21, 2002
Dear Marc,
I am not an expert in this field, but in my opinion both drawings could well
be Shôtei originals.
The bottom right being a final preliminary study for the print
(mirror-imaged).
The top right study might be done by Shôtei shortly after the print was
published. It is based on the print but he clearly tries a variation.
In the forthcoming Hasui books (I am currently working on) you will find
quite a few watercolours which are not preliminary studies, but which were
done by Hasui after the print had been published (perhaps as a commission).
Although clearly based on the print, they don't follow the original.
Hope that this helps with your understanding of what you have in your collection.
All the best
Robert Schaap
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