Sardines Berry Red by Alice Straker Henri Rousseau Elegantly dressed figures gather around

Elegantly dressed figures gather around an ornate shell fountain

its elongated neck and dagger-shaped bill rendered with the meticulous accuracy demanded by nineteenth-century natural history publications

the composition retains its full tonal range and crisp edge detail

Kazumasa's mastery of tone gives the flower an almost painterly warmth

every colour in this illustration comes through with full fidelity — crisp edges

Sardines Berry Red by Alice Straker Henri Rousseau Elegantly dressed figures gather aroundSardines Berry Red swaps the warm orange ground for a deep, saturated berry tone that shifts the whole mood of the image richer, more dramatic, closer to dusk than afternoon. Alice Straker arranges the sardines with the same casual confidence found in her wider work, but the cooler undertone of the background gives the silver fish an almost jewel like quality against the dark field. It is the same subject seen through a different emotional register.