☆☆RARE☆☆ Kawanabe Kyosai Antique (1st Edition) Woodblock Print Hokusai Seitei

Description

KYOSAI RAKUGA: KYOSAI’S DRAWING FOR PLEASURE
Artist:Kawanabe Kyosai
Published: Tokyo 1881, Takeda
Antique SURIMONO KYOSAI KAWANABE 河鍋暁斎 Japanese Woodblock Print Ukiyoe Nishikie
The contents of Kyosai’s Ryakuga, consist of various subjects from nature i.e.: fish, birds, ducks, goslings fighting over a salamander, monkeys, puppies, turtles, a fox looking down at a fish, menacing crows, a lazy white cat looking at mice, rabbits, bats, frogs, crayfish, catfish in a basket, various still life arrangements, one with fish that look alive and swimming on the table, another with a kingfisher perched on a pitcher looking at a minnow swimming on the table, a crab, hermit crabs, lobsters, insects, flowers, bamboo, fantastic landscapes and scholar’s rocks, persimmons, fruits, a snake clinging to a bird, a mole startling a bird, scenes from the farm and garden...
Very crisp and clean example from the FIRST & ONLY EDITION. The RAKUGA is one of Kyosai’s finest works in book form, and also one of the rarest. This is a lovely copy of Kyosai’s unique, exceptionally conceived, charming and often humorous work. Expertly drawn and printed with variations of bold lines and splashes of soft pastel colors. THIS IS ART OF THE HIGHEST SOPHISTICATION FROM ONE OF JAPAN’S MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED ARTISTS. As is said elsewhere—art such as this reminds us to live right, fare, desiring to see all the abundance that surrounds us while cherishing it.
A charming and delicate work, woodblock printed on hand made, super-thin mulberry paper. Each “printed painting” covers two pages with a center fold.
This is one of Kyosai’s more obscure works and perhaps one of his last books. Kyosai has been widely collected by world museums and especially appreciated in Japan, where there is a museum devoted to him exclusively.
Dealer price often well over ,500.00 for the two books