About this Item
Meiji-era salesman's sample catalogue with a selection of superb hand-stencilled paper and paper-backed silks for use on Japanese fusuma room dividing screens, some of them showing clear arts and crafts influence. The selection begins with two heavily textured plain papers, followed by three where designs are printed onto a bark-textured paper similar to that used in the binding, the first with a repeated geometric design in brown and charcoal on a grey wash, the others with stylised floral designs, highlighted with gold splashes. The next group consists of three designs on straw-textured paper, all concentrating on foliate motifs, the most striking with juxtaposed squares of golden ochre and pale green. The first, with a repeated vine leaf and tendril design, is superimposed on a square of red spattered with gold, the other has maple leaves in gold and autumnal orangish-brown with ripples in silver. The next two designs are on fine-textured grey washi paper featuring abstract, naturalistic patterns, the first cloud-like, the second a drip pattern. Five designs of a more designs follow, a densely repeated silver cloud design, two with repeated Paulownia flower mon patterns, one in blue and silver, the other with a larger silver crest, a pale grey paper chequer-boarded with an intricate stele-like device, the last with chrysanthemums, pale blue, gold, and silver, with leaves in dark green. The next group are of paper-backed silk, all in related colour ways, employing subdued red, green and brown on a golden ochre ground with highlighting in silver or gold, showing clear influence from the arts and crafts movement. These range from a simple geometric design, to complex repeated mon decoration employing chrysanthemums, lotus petals and cranes, and include a very Morrisian design of small flowers on fine tendrils, petals outlined in old gold. The last two samples are half-page and are of paper-backed plain open-weave cloth in two shades of ecru. In all, this is a beautiful collection of hand-finished materials showing designs from the period immediately predating the widespread commercialization of fusuma production. Landscape quarto (198 x 271 mm). 22 samples, all with rubber-stamped maker's name, and discreet inked inventory notes. Original bark-textured grey paper-covered boards, punch sewn with purple silk ties, calligraphic title label mounted on the front board, grey on grey, silhouette maple leaf-pattered pastedowns A little used, with minor wear along the board edges, and some chipping at the head and tail of the spine, the contents with some light foxing or browning in places, showing versos.
Seller Inventory # 103576
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