Japanese Prints

The MFA is celebrated for its collection of over 45,000 Japanese woodblock prints. Many were acquired systematically in Japan by William Sturgis Bigelow. In 1921, brothers William S. and John T. Spaulding donated a special group of over 6,000 prints to the collection. This gift came with an unusual condition: in order to preserve the delicate colors of the woodblock prints, which fade rapidly when exposed to light, the Spauldings specified that the collection must never be exhibited in the galleries. Recently, digital imaging has made it possible for the Museum to present all of its Japanese prints to the public in near-microscopic detail.