Japanese Album. Village scenes. 日本のアルバム。村に。Around 1820-1830. 6 dressed painted canvases (24,5 x 31 cm each) Leporello, blue and gold woven covers, modern folding box in grey fabric, navy blue suede interior, 2 bone clasps.
The decorations are delicately watercoloured on fabric (linen or cotton?) and enhanced with gold-leaf. The figures and a few utensils or tools are pasted on; the clothes are made of shimmering fabrics and the faces are finely painted. The scenes, all bearing a red seal, depict shop fronts: fish auction (near Uobashi Bridge), Uji tea shop, sushi restaurant, geta shop, carpenter and pharmacist. Each shop is clearly identified by the name on the cloth sign. These scenes are reminiscent of the paintings by Kawahara Keiga, commissioned by Dutchmen such as Siebold in the 1820s and 1830s, of Japanese crafts.
Gold of the covers a little faded.
A sumptuous work of rare finesse and delicacy. We have found no equivalent of this type of album.
6 000 €