4 THE WATERMARK ON JUNKERNBODEN

AFTER THE SECOND CHANGE of blotters a disturbance in the surface of the paper indicated the presence of a watermark, but the watermark itself was illegible. Later, when the print had been lined and dried it was possible to use raking and transmitted light to distinguish the words:

4.1 ASOKA REGISTERED

This mark is located in each of the four quadrants of the sheet. The letters in “A S O K A” measure approximately 22mm in height; the letters in “REGISTERED” measure approximately 15mm in height. The width of the mark at its widest is about 170mm. Other Kirchner prints were examined and three woodcuts were found with a related mark. This related mark is not a watermark, per se, but a mark stamped in an embossed plaquette, reading:

4.2 ASOKA

One of these prints, Portrait of the Art-Dealer Ludwig Schames, exhibits not only ink qualities similar to Junkernboden, but also the same brown staining from the oil in the printing ink. The paper is thick and absorbent and buff-colored. Although Junkernboden is printed on thinner paper, it is possible that its original quality was similar to that of Schames.

According to Dr. E. Kornfeld of Kornfeld und Klipstein, in Bern, Kirchner used this paper with “ASOKA” in the four quadrants of the sheet often during the winter 1917–18. It is a blotting paper which was probably made by the Sihl-Papermills in Zurich.29