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Three finely illustrated handscrolls (emakimono) on fine smooth torinoko gold-sprinkled paper, with 16 finely executed brush & polychrome paintings, accompanying text in a fine calligraphic cursive hand, rich ?golden mud? borders at top & bottom of each painting, speckled with cut gold leaf on reverse side. Three scrolls (323 x 11,640, 12,760, & 17,925 mm.), outer front endpaper covered with blue silk brocade with gold motifs, inner front endpapers of scored gold paper, manuscript label on outside of each scroll on fine decorated paper with nature motifs, entitled ?Iwaya monogatari,? modern core rollers with finely decorated colored enamel caps. [Japan]: early Edo. Our three large-format, long, and beautiful ?Nara emaki? scrolls contain 16 luxurious paintings, enriched with a dazzling display of gold and rich pigments, illustrating the immensely popular story Iwaya monogatari from the Muromachi era (1136-1573). The story has much in common with the West?s Cinderella, employing many of the same themes. Our scrolls were created at the height of the popularity of Nara ehon and emaki, a time of artistic expression at it most luxurious. The Iwaya monogatari is very much part of the otogi z?shi genre from the Muromachi era, shorter prose narratives that often blended folklore, moral lessons, and elements of fantasy. It tells the story of the hardships of Tainoya, a beautiful young woman who suffers mistreatment and exile at the hands of her stepmother. She finds herself on a rock off the coast of Awaji island, where she is eventually rescued by a fisherman. After further travails, she is recognized at court as ?the fairest lady of the land.? These are ?deluxe? scrolls with lavish amounts of gold pigment, gold leaf, and gold sprays (kindei ??, ?golden mud?) in the complex images. All of the text sections ? many of which are very long and written in a fine cursive calligraphic hand ? have been subtly decorated with underpaintings in gold ?mist? and various gold plant and flower motifs using kindei as the pigment. These patterns, known as shitae ??, were made on the sheets before the calligrapher began his work. The images are finely painted and highly detailed, with the faces delicately tinted, the patterns of the complex kimono patterns carefully portrayed, sliding doors with images painted on them, complex views of the architecture of the mansion rooms, furnishings, artwork, and tastefully designed gardens with a lush variety of flora. The artist has often used the fukinuki yatai ???? (?blown-off roof?) method to reveal the scene in full. Fine condition, with one small repeating wormhole in the final scroll. Preserved in a wooden box.
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