Step 6 of 9

True colours

Detail of original print

Detail of original print

The difference in colour between the original and the copy is striking: in the original, the fan is green and the kimono is purple, while in the copy, these colours are the other way around. However, it’s nearly impossible to determine whether a work is real or not based on colour difference alone.

The ink that was used in the 18th century wasn’t exactly stable. Depending on preservation conditions, a print could change colour in all kinds of different ways.