Japan - Japan - Postcard (4) - 1904-1900

Rare lot of 4 antique Japanese-themed postcards with UNDIVIDED BACK - Includes 2 animated and 2 with changing gold prints (Kohn & Bielefeld / Adachi Ginkō) - New / Excellent condition - 1900-1904 Exceptional and rare lot consisting of four (4) antique postcards illustrated with a Japanese theme, dating with certainty to the very early 1900s (1900-1904). All postcards feature the sought-after “undivided back,” a philatelic and carte-de-visite characteristic that certifies their authenticity and production prior to the 1905 postal reform. All pieces are in mint/unopened condition, new and never circulated (never written or stamped), an incredibly rare state of preservation for paper supports of this period. The lot is composed of two distinct artistic pairs: 1. Pair with a movable flap / Ukiyo-e style (illustrated by Adachi Ginkō): • Details: Two splendid polychrome postcards in woodblock print style (nishiki-e) illustrating traditional costumes and female etiquette of Meiji-era Japan (Shōgaku Joreishiki Zukai). One depicts a domestic indoor scene (“Three Geisha at Home”), the other shows ladies on a veranda overlooking a garden. • Mechanical feature: Each postcard features a perfectly preserved and functioning surprise paper flap in the upper corner that lifts to reveal a hidden silhouette beneath. 2. Pair in Black Lacquer style with changing gold prints (issued by Kohn & Bielefeld): • Details: Two magnificent Art Nouveau / Japonisme postcards printed in fine chromolithography to imitate the visual effect of prized Japanese black lacquer (urushi). They are adorned with beautiful flat-gold printed inserts with metallic shading, featuring detailed bird motifs and floral compositions. • Feature: In line with the era’s undivided-back regulations, both postcards bear on the front the classic fixed, blank rectangle space (unwritten and un-sent), originally designed by the publisher to allow messages to be written directly on the illustrated side. • Publisher mark: On the back of this pair is stamped the prestigious factory mark “K. & B. D. 664,” attesting to the excellent craftsmanship by the historic German publisher Kohn & Bielefeld (Hannover). Condition Report: • Front: Excellent. Colors are vivid and bright, the flaps of the first pair are intact and perfectly stable. The dark surface and the gold inserts of the second pair are flat and free of wear, scratches, or abrasions. Sharp corners and edges, no signs of creasing or tearing. • Back: Clean, white, pristine, and strictly undivided (free of writing or stamps). • A standout lot of high historical value, ideal for enriching discerning collections of antique postcards and testimonies to the Japonisme phenomenon of the early century.

Estimate:£133.72

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