Rare art book

BIJUTSU SEKAI – The World of Art – Volume 20 – Japan, 1892 – Meiji Era – Watanabe Seitei Rare work of Japanese art, Bijutsu Sekai (美術世界, “The World of Art”), volume 20, published on November 10, 1892 (25th year of the Meiji era) by the publishing house Shun’yōdō, under the artistic direction of Watanabe Seitei (1851-1918). Original Meiji-era edition, not a modern reproduction. This collective work brings together compositions by great masters of Japanese painting, reproduced by wood engraving, including magnificent polychrome prints printed on traditional Japanese paper. The illustrations, sometimes spread across two pages, testify to the refinement of late 19th-century Japanese engraving. They feature varied subjects: flowers and birds (kachō-ga), female figures, historical and legendary scenes, as well as objects of Japanese art. Among the artists represented in this volume are notably Kōno Bairei (1844-1895), Sakurai Hyakurei, Morizumi Kan’yo, Hara Zaisen, Taki Katei (1830-1901), Kikuchi Yōsai (1788-1878), Imao Keinen and Tsutsumi Tōrin, as well as other renowned artists. A historical composition evokes the legend of the Nue, a fantastical creature of Japanese mythology, traditionally described as having a monkey head, a tanuki body, tiger limbs and a serpent tail. According to legend, it was defeated by the warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa. Kōno Bairei, one of the great representatives of the Maruyama-Shijō school, was notably the master of Takeuchi Seihō, Uemura Shōen and Kawai Gyokudō. The volume also includes illustrations devoted to traditional Japanese objects, notably the yatate, a portable writing instrument for ink writing, used in the Edo period. Specifications: • Origin: Japan • Period: Meiji, 1892 • Volume: No. 20 • Publisher: Shun’yōdō, Tokyo • Artistic direction: Watanabe Seitei (Watanabe Shōtei) • Technique: wood engraving, polychrome and monochrome prints • Support: traditional Japanese paper • Japanese stitched binding • Dimensions: 25 × 16.1 cm • Composition: 16.5 leaves Condition: antique work showing signs of use and aging. Overall good preservation of colors. Restorations on the last two pages.

Estimate:£126.72

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