//Pictures
  • Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Iseya Sōemon [伊勢屋惣右衛門] (Japanese, c. 1776 – 1862), seal Marks 21-216. Double nanushi censor’s seals: Hama & Magome (1849-53). Title: Wisteria in Kameido [亀戸乃藤] (Kameido no fuji). An uncut fan print (uchiwa-e), depicting a young woman coming down Taikobashi bridge at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.
  • Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro [喜多川 歌麿] (Japanese, c. 1753 – 1806) "This uncommon half-size horizontal ōban ... is most likely one design from a set of twelve prints issued late in Utamaro's life" [Japanese Erotic Fantasies, Hotei Publishing, 2005, p. 143, pl. 47].  Half-size horizontal ōban must be 12.7 x 38 cm. Richard Waldman and Chris Uhlenbeck say it's tanzaku size (13 x 43 cm). In reality, the prints of this series measure 17 x 38 cm, which corresponds exactly to horizontal o-hosoban paper size. I managed to assemble 11 of allegedly 12 designs. 7 of them have genitals colored by hand. It's hard to tell whether it was done by the publisher on demand of a peculiar buyer, or by the owner of the prints who considered the black and white privy parts unnatural. My sequencing of the prints is arbitrary. Transcription of the text may help find the correct order. As Japanese Erotic Fantasies put it: "a couple engaged in love-making, their stare fixed outside the picture plane". This is the only image of series that has a reference in available western literature, and the only one found in museum collections: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (RP-P-1999-2001-16); reference: Fukuda (ed.) (1990), pls. 11-2. The scene of this print looks quite similar to that of the Kiyonaga's Sode no maki:  The woman is "a young lady-in-waiting of Shogun's Court or Daimyō's Mansion, enjoying a rare outing from her tedious chores" [Richard Lane]. She is fully dressed in her outer cloak (shikake), white paper hat (agebōshi or tsunokakushi), and toed socks (tabi).  A book or maybe, onkotogami (roll of tissues known as 'paper for honourable act' ) is still in the folds of her kimono. She is holding an open fan, either to cover her and her lover's faces from an unsolicited witness or to bring some fresh air to their joined lips. The pair just started their sexual intercourse. A scene from medieval times. A courtier in eboshi cap having sex with an aristocratic young woman with a long straight hairstyle (suihatsu). Completely naked couple in the moment of ejaculation. Lavish garments with paulownia leaves on a yellow background counterbalance the white bodies on red bedding. The form of a woman's cheeks is telling, but I don't know about what. Maybe her advanced age? The pose of the couple and the overall composition are similar to that of the previous sheet. Though the lovers are dressed, and the woman's hairdo is well kept. The male looks older and the woman - younger.   A man takes a young maid from behind. She clenches the sleeve of her kimono in her teeth; it's either the moment of penetration (beginning of intercourse) or of her orgasm (the end of it).   This seems to be a forced intercourse between a lackey with extensive bodily hair and a young maid from the same household. This design is very much like the other one presented below, which is described at Japanese Erotic Fantasies on page 136 (pl. 43b) as follows: "The viewer peers through a mosquito net to see a child fast asleep, while his mother or wet-nurse moves towards her partner. On our print there is no child; instead of a sleeping baby, there is a roll of onkotogami. Fewer objects make the overall image concise, almost laconic in comparison with the Ehon hana fubuki (1802) design: A young couple in a moment of true love. He is listening to the beating of her heart. This is a moment of true love between an old monk and a young samurai. The latter even did not take of his socks (tabi). From Japanese Erotic Fantasies: "Boats played a crucial role in the workings of Yoshiwara, as they were the primary means of transport to the district. During the hot summer months, trips on pleasure boats were also a favourite pastime. Sex aboard a boat is a recurrent theme in shunga". The last print that I am currently lacking and hunting for: I know where it is, but I cannot reach it... yet.
  • A portrait of Marcello Malpighi from his book Opera posthuma: figuris aeneis illustrata, quibus praefixa est ejusdem vita a seipso scripta, Londini:Churchill, 1697. Inscription: Marcellus Malpighius | Medicus Bononiensis mortuus 29 Novemb. Anno Dom. 1694. Anno aetatis 67. I. Kip. sculp.

    Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 29 November 1694) was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "Father of microscopical anatomy, histology, physiology and embryology" [Wikipedia].

    From European Journal of Anatomy 22(5):433-439 · September 2018, an article by Sanjib Ghosh and Ashutosh Kumar 'Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694): Pioneer of microscopic anatomy and exponent of the scientific revolution of the 17th Century': Italian anatomist and an eminent scientist who significantly contributed to the advancement of the anatomical sciences in the 17th century. Malpighi was one of the first to use the compound microscope (an instrument designed by Galileo in 1609) and made the most important discovery of his life in 1661 when he identified capillaries as connecting vessels between small arteries and veins in the lungs. Malpighi thus provided the missing link in William Harvey's theory of blood circulation. He made significant contributions in the field of embryology based on his observations on chick embryo, and his efforts provided deep insights into the development of the heart and the nervous system. His communications based on microscopic studies scripted valuable details on the structural organization of organs like the liver, kidney and spleen. He identified the hepatic lobule as the fundamental unit of the liver and noted that bile was being secreted by these lobules and not from the gall bladder (the popular belief then). In the kidney, he discovered the glomerulus (Malpighian Corpuscle) and was the first to observe the convoluted tubules in the renal cortex. He was the first to describe the presence of lymphatic bodies (Malpighi's Corpuscle) in the spleen. Although he was exceedingly successful in his scientific activities, his life was fraught with unfortunate events and savage criticism from detractors arising out of professional jealousy and personal feuds. Nevertheless, his exploits were instrumental in understanding the human microscopic anatomy (histology) and his accomplishments have etched his name in the pages of medical science forever.

    The portrait was engraved by Johannes "Jan" Kip (1652/53, Amsterdam – 1722, Westminster) - a Dutch draftsman, engraver and print dealer.

  • Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi [歌川 國芳] (Japanese, 1798 – 1861). Publisher: Enshuya Matabei [遠州屋又兵衛] (Japanese, fl. c. 178 – 1881) – no seal, ref: Kunisada Project. Title: A Summer Evening [夏乃夕暮] (Natsu no Yūgure). A young woman in purple kimono decorated with cranes and waves catching a firefly among yellow and purple flowers. Signed: Ichiyosai Kuniyoshi ga [一勇斎 国芳 画] in a red cartouche and sealed with paulownia (kiri mon). Date seal and double nanushi censor seals: Fuku & Muramatsu, 1853 (Kaei 6, 2nd month). No publisher's seal. Size: Uchiwa-e (untrimmed fan print) 228 x 296 mm. The yellow flower is probably Patrinia scabiosifolia (ominaeshi) [女郎花]. The purple flower seems to be Platycodon grandiflorus or Balloon Flower (kikyō) [桔梗]. Besides, there are visible panicles of  Miscanthus sinensis, or Japanese pampas grass (susuki) [薄]. These three are part of the Seven Grasses of Autumn (aki no nanakusa) [秋の七草].  
  • Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Kunisada ga [国貞画] in a yellow double-gourd cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburo [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Date aratame seal: Bunsei 13 – Tenpō 1 (1830). Actor: Nakamura Utaemon IV [中村歌右衛門] (Japanese, 1796 – 1852); other names: Nakamura Shikan II [二代目中村芝翫], Nakamura Tsurusuke I, Nakamura Tōtarō. Play:  Yoshitsune’s Letter at Koshigoe [義経腰越状] (Yoshitsune Koshigoe-jo). Uncut fan print (uchiwa-e, 団 扇 絵), 229 x 267 mm, depicting kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan [中村芝翫] as Gotobei [五斗兵衛]. Nakamura Utaemon IV held the name of Nakamura Shikan II from the 11th lunar month of 1825 to the 1st lunar month of 1836. He was born as Hirano Kichitarō in Edo in 1796. Another fan print with the same subject in this collection [SVJP-0344.2021]: "...The play Yoshitsune Koshigoe-jo was originally written for the puppet theatre (Bunraku) and staged for the first time in the 7th lunar month of 1754 in Ôsaka at the Toyotakeza. It was a revision of two early plays, Namiki Sōsuke's Nanbantetsu Gotō no Menuki (1735) and Yoshitsune Shin Fukumijō (1744). The title, which suggested that the play focused on Minamoto no Yoshitsune, was in fact dealing with the siege of the Ōsaka Castle, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu to destroy the Toyotomi clan in 1614 and 1615. This play was quickly forbidden because of the 4th act in which Gotobei's wife fired a gun at Yoritomo (this was of course interpreted as an attack on the Shogunate). Yoshitsune Koshigoe-jo was revised in 1770 by Toyotake Ōritsu, who completely rewrote the 4th act for a puppet production at the Kitahorieza in Ōsaka". Yoshitsune Koshigoe-jo was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Ichimuraza on the 9th lunar month of 1790, and is still performed. Gotobei [五斗兵衛] (Gotohei or Gotobē), one of Yoshitsune’s loyal retainers, is forced to choose between his son’s life or his loyalty to Yoshitsune. Nishikidō brothers, who do not want Gotobei to become Yoshitsune's chief strategist, forced him to drink sake and get asleep. To prove Gotobei's military abilities, Izumi no Saburō fires a gun next to Gotobei's ear, and "he jumps up immediately, in full possession of his senses, ready to repulse any enemy". See: [LIB-1193.2013] Samuel L. Leiter. Kabuki Encyclopedia: An English-language adaptation of Kabuki Jiten. — Westport, CT; London: Greenwood Press, 1979; pp. 266-7). Ref:  [LIB-2993.2022] Fig. 24 in Israel Goldman. Japanese prints and paintings / 40th anniversary; Catalogue 27, 2021. Two more Kunisada's fan prints (in Paul Griffith's collection), depicting the same actor Nakamura Shikan II as Toneri Matsuōmaru [舎人松王丸] were published in 1832 by Iseya Ichiemon. The play was Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy [菅原伝授手習鑑] (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami). See: [LIB-1212.2017] Robert Schaap. Kunisada: Imaging, drama and beauty / Introduction by Sebastian Izzard, contributions by Paul Griffith and Henk. J. Herwig. — Leiden: Hotei Publishing, ©2016.
  • Mons the Capital City of Hainault in y Low Countries, taken by y French in 1691, Restor'd to y Spaniards by y Peace of Ryswick in 1697, retaken by y Allies in 1709, and left to y Emperor by y Treaty of Utrecht. attribution to publication source has been trimmed.

    Dimensions: Sheet: 40.7 x 52.5 cm; Image: 37.5 x 48 cm. Published between 1744 and 1747. Attribution to publication source has been trimmed. Reference: Royal Academy 03/2919. Source: Maps for Mr. Tindal's Continuation of Mr. Rapin's History of England. London: John and Paul Knapton. Nicolas Tindal (British, 1687 – 1774) – the translator and continuer of the History of England by Paul de Rapin. Paul de Rapin (French, 1661 – 1725) – a Huguenot historian, author of the History of England.
  • Oblong album of forty photogravures printed on wove paper in sanguine after drawings by Mihály Zichy; 31.5 x 40.5 cm gilt-decorated half-parchment over red boards with a gilt diaper design; embossed gilt label in the top left corner “Michael | von Zichy. | Liebe”. Anonymous edition. Bookplate to front pastedown: “P•U•H | EX | LIBRIS”. Photogravures made from the original watercolours and crayon drawings produced in 1874-1879; the original album consisted of 51 compositions was sold at Christie’s sale of Gérard Nordmann collection on December 14-15, 2006 in Paris. Some of these photogravures were reproduced photomechanically and printed in 1869 [LIB-2244.2019] and 1989 [LIB-2242.2019]. Limitation: 300 copies were privately printed in Leipzig in 1911 for subscribers only; photogravure copper plates were destroyed. This is copy 285. Title-page (brown and black): MICHAEL VON ZICHY | LIEBE | VIERZIG ZEICHNUNGEN | PRIVATDRUCK LEIPZIG 1911 || Dimensions: album: 31.5 x 40.5 cm; sheets 31 x 40 cm, uncut. Catalogue raisonné: Bibliothèque érotique: Gérard Nordmann; Livres, manuscrits, dessins, photographies du XVIe au XXe siècle / Catalogues de ventes, seconde partie. — Paris: Christie’s, 2006; p. 280, № 564 (drawings); №  565 photogravures [LIB-2810.2021]. Contributors: Mihály Zichy [Michael von Zichy; Михаил Александрович Зичи] (Hungarian, 1827 – 1906).
  • Artist: Utagawa Kunimaru [歌川国丸] (Japanese, 1794 – 1829). Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋 仙三郎] (fl. 1815 – 1869). Date-kiwame seal: Bunsei 10 (1827). Signed: Ichiensai Kunimaru ga [一円斎国丸画]. Play: Chūshingura [忠臣蔵] (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), 11th act, Night Battle [十一段目夜討之図]. Act XI: The Attack on Kō no Moronao Mansion. Kō no Moronao [高 師直] (Japanese, d. 1351). Ref: Ako City Museum of History Inscription on the soba peddler box: Nihachi soba udon [二八そば うどん] –  twice eight soba and udon (16 mon per serving).
  • Artist: Veronica Miller attributes the drawing to Utagawa Sadahide [歌川 貞秀] (Japanese, 1807 – 1879), also known as Gountei Sadahide [五雲亭 貞秀]. A preparatory drawing for a fan print depicts two women raking pine needles along the scenic beach at Harima. Inscription at top right "Maiko Beach in Harima" (Harima Maiko no Hama) [播磨 舞子濱], which is now located in Hyōgo Prefecture. The view must be of the Akashi Strait, looking towards Awaji Island. Drawn on thin hanshita paper, mounted lightly at the top to a backing paper, but unbacked. Size: 240 x 319 mm. Attribution to Sadahide based on his design titled "Suma Bay: Matsukaze and Murasame" (see below): See also Maiko Beach, Harima Province, from the series Views of Famous Places in the Sixty-Odd Provinces    
  • Hand-coloured lithography on wove paper, 395 x 280 mm; black ink stamp “5309” to reverse. On image: artist's initials "L. H."; on stone: "Lith. de Fr. Wentzel a Wissembourg. — Déposé — DÉPÔT, Fr. Wentzel Editeur rue St. Jacques 65, PARIS"; below centre: "239"; bottom : La famille Impériale. Die Kaizerliche Familie. Napoleon III [Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte] (French, 1808 – 1873) Eugénie de Montijo [L'impératrice Eugénie] (Spanish-French, 1826 – 1920) Napoléon, Prince Imperial (Napoléon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte] (French, 1856 – 1879) Jean Frédéric Wentzel (French, 1807 – 1869) – publisher/printer.
  • Watercolour on laid paper, 198 x 225 mm, signed or stamped in orange ink “ORS” to recto [Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961)]; black ink stamp: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”, pencil “ss” in the bottom left corner, and remnants of a hinge on the upper right to verso.
  • Mori Sosen (1747-1821). A Monkey Seated on a Rock with an Infant Monkey. Hanging scroll painting. Ink and colour on silk. Signed: Sosen. Sealed: Sosen. 108.3 x 38.3 cm. Provenance: According to the box inscriptions, the painting was in the possession of Itakura Katsunao, a daimyo lord in present-day Gunma, in 1808. In 1881, the painting was subsequently acquired by Negishi Shôrei (1833-1897) a master swordsman who established the Negishi school of shuriken ("The only specialist school to have survived is the Negishi-ryū, which was founded by Negishi Shorei in the mid-1800s".)
  • Woman Looking out a Round Window at a Woman with a Komusō Hat.

    Artist Koikawa Harumasa (a.k.a. Banki): fl. 1801–18. Wikipedia: Koikawa Harumasa (恋川 春政; active 1800–1820), later called Banki Harumasa (晩器 春政). Associated with Katsukawa school.

    Signed: Banki ga (on the bamboo flower container in the background). Censor's seal: kiwame. Mark of unidentified publisher, Genshoku #1017; Marks U084 Ibiko, p. 387.

    References:

    Jacob Pins #828.

    MFA, Boston #54.364.

  • Engraving by J.J. Balechou after E. Jeaurat.  A husband and wife ask a quack doctor for advice about health: he suggests substituting himself for the husband in the wife's affections, and she agrees: Épigrammes de Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (French, 1671–1741).

    Date: 1743.

    Size: 380 x 270 mm

    Inscriptions under the image:

    Top: Peint par E. Jeaurat | L'Operateur Barri | Grave par Balechou 1743

    Middle: Sur leurs santés un Bourgeois et sa femme

    Interrogeoient l'Operateur Barri, Lequel leur dit : Pour vous guérir, Madame, Baume plus sûr n'est que votre Mari, Puis se tournant vers l'époux amaigri, Pour vous, dit il, femme vous est mortelle, Las ! dit alors l'Epoux à sa femelle, Puis qu'autrement ne pouvons nous guérir, Que faire donc ? Je n'en sçai rien, dit elle,

    Mais, par Saint Jean, je ne veux point mourir.

    Rousseau Epig. X

    Center bottom: a Paris chez Lepicie Graveur du Roi au coin de l'Abreuvoir du Quay des Orfevres. Et Chez L. Surugue Aussi Graveur du Roi rue des Noyers vis a vis le mur de St. Yves Avec Privilege du Roi.
  • La vénus espagnole et le prince de Joinville par Zut [The Spanish Venus and the Prince of Joinville, by Zut]. Empress Eugénie poses naked for the Prince de Joinville holding a cigarette in her hand. He stares at her intently from his easel.
  • Drypoint on wove paper, depicting a woman in a hat with a ribbon lettered "ACADEMIE", carrying in her hand a male head in spectacles on a plate. Monogrammed "FR 83", inscribed: LA MODERNITÉ. — Imp. Eudes.; in pencil on verso."L'ARTISTE" – OCT. 1886 | (PRUD'HOMME ONTHOOFD) E 332-V". Owner's stamp 'LvM' on verso.

    Dimensions: Paper: 27.2 x 17.8 cm; Plate: 19.7 x 14 cm; Image: 18.5 x 13 cm.

    Catalogue raisonné: Rouir 767:5; Arthur Hubschmid (1977): 405; Graphics irreverent and erotic (1968): 72.

  • Top right: EASTERN DIVISION OF | PARIS. | Containing the Quartiers | {5 lines in italic} | Published under the Superintendence of the Society for the | Diffusion of Useful Knowledge || Bottom left:  WESTERN DIVISION OF | PARIS. | Containing the Quartiers | {4 lines in italic} | Published under the Superintendence of the Society for the | Diffusion of Useful Knowledge || Under the frame: Drawn by W. B. Clarke, Archt. […] London: Published by Chapman and Hall, 186, Strand. April 1st, 1834. [...] Engraved by J. Shury || Dimensions: Sheet: 40.8 x 57 cm; Image: 38.7 x 52.5 cm. Contributors: William Barnard Clarke (British, 1806 – 1865) – artist. John Shury (fl. c. 1814-1844) – engraver. Chapman and Hall (London) – publisher. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) (British firm, 1826 – 1846).
  • Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a yellow toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Unknown, seal [久] Kyū (Japanese, fl. c. 1851 – 1861); (Marks 07-023 | U176a, possibly Sagamia Kyūzō). Date seal and double nanushi censor seals: Fuku & Muramatsu, Kaei 6, 2nd month (2/1853). Inscription in a red cartouche: Purple of Edo // Purple of the Bay Capital [江都むらさき] (Edo Murasaki), alluding to Murasaki Shikibu [紫 式部] (Japanese, c. 973/8 – c. 1014/31), the author of Genji Monogatari [源氏物語] (The Tale of Genji), a Heian period novel which was the source of a parody Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji [偐紫田舎源氏] (Fake Murasaki’s Rustic Genji) by Ryutei Tanehiko [柳亭種彦] (Japanese, 1783 – 1842). According to Horst Graebner: The actor is most probably Iwai Kumesaburō III. Iwai Hanshirō VIII [岩井半四郎] (Japanese, 1829 – 1882); other names: Iwai Shijaku II, Iwai Kumesaburō III [岩井粂三郎], Iwai Hisajirō II. One of the series of Kunisada's fan prints in this collection:
  • An uncut aizuri fan print showing two travellers admiring the view of the Tama River [多摩川] (Tamagawa) and Mount Kōya [高野山] (Kōyasan) in Kii Province [紀伊国] (Kii no Kuni). Artist: Utagawa Sadahide [歌川貞秀] (Japanese, 1807 – 1879). Signed: Gountei Sadahide ga [五雲亭貞秀画] (Picture by Gountei Sadahide). Publisher: Unknown. Published: c. 1849. No date seal, no censor seal (privately printed?) Media: Fan print [団扇絵] (uchiwa-e), 235 x 300 mm.
  • A limited-edition (№26/500) set of 42 etchings and drypoints after Félicien Rops (Belgian, 1833 – 1898), each mounted in a numbered passe-partout, printed posthumously by an anonym in Germany in 1905; in a flapped half faux suede-backed cardboard portfolio with straps, 442 x 335 mm, red embossed lettering to the front cover, bookplate of Richard Teschner (Austrian, 1879 – 1948) pasted inside.

    Title-page (in a red frame): Das erotische Werk | des Felicien Rops | Zweiundvierzig Radie- | rungen des Meisters | in schwarzem und | farbigem Lichtdruck | 1905 | Privatdruk ||

    Limitation (in a red two-section frame) : Dieses Werk wurde in einer | einmaligen Auflage von | 500 numerierten Exemplaren | hergestellt. — Ein Nachdruck | findet nicht statt, die Platten | == sind vernichtet == | Exemplar Nr. 26 ||

    Verzeichnis der Tafeln (Table of Contents): 1. Initiation sentimentale; 2. La croix; 3. Entre-acte; 4. Holocauste; 5. La bonne hollandaise; 6. Étude; 7. La femme au pantin; 8. L’amour de Satan; 9. Au pays des féminies; 10. La volupté; 11. Evocation; 12. De castitate; 13. Joujou; 14. Vengeance d’une femme; 15. Phantasies; 16. Indolence; 17. Théâtre gaillard; 18. Appel au peuple; 19. Masques modernes; 20. Tout est grand chez les rois; 21. Marie-Madeleine; 22. L’amante du Christ; 23. Feuille de vigne; 24. La messe de Guide; 25 Viol et prostitution; 26. Le maillot; 27. Les jeunes France; 28. Les diaboliques; 29. Coquetterie au miroir; 30. Jeune homme; 31. La femme et la mort; 32. Confidence; 33. La bergère; 34. La mère aux satyrions; 35. Les exercices de dévotion de Mr. Henri Roch; 36. Mademoiselle de Maupin; 37. Le bonheur dans le crime; 38. La sirène; 39. Les cabotinages de l’amour; 40. Document sur l’impuissance d’aimer; 41. A cœur perdu; 42. Curieuse.

  • Hand-coloured woodcut on wove paper, 327 x 280 mm; black ink stamp “5265” to reverse, attached to the sheet 470 x 325 mm. Top centre: "S. A. LE PRINCE IMPÉRIAL.", right: "63." Image: equestiral portrait of Prince Impérial. Under the image, centre: "Fabrique d'Images de GANGEL et P. DIDION, à Metz." — "Déposé." Napoléon, Prince Imperial (Napoléon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte] (French, 1856 – 1879). Gangel et P. Didion (Metz); Paulin Didion (French, 1831 – 1879) – publisher/printer.
  • M. de Chertablon. La maniere de se bien preparer a la Mort par des Considerations sur la Cene, la Passion, et la Mort de Jesu-Christ. – Antwerp: George Gallet, 1700. Pagination: ff, [2 - blanks] [2 - t.p., blank] [3 - advert.] 4-63 [64]; 42 copper etched plates by Romeyn de Hooghe: A, B, C, 1-39; [20 - Dutch plate description of the David de la Vigne's Miroir de la bonne mort], bf. Full title: La maniere de se bien preparer a la Mort par des Considerations sur la Cene, la Passion, et la Mort de Jesu-Christ, Avec de très-belles Estampes Emblematiques, Expliquées par Mr. de Chertablon, Piêtre & Licentié en Theologie. Vivere totâ vitâ discendum est; & quòd mage fortasse miraberis, tôtâ vitâ discendum est mori. Seneca de brevit. vitæ. Cap. VII. A Anvers, Chez George Gallet. M DCC, Avec Approbation. / David de La Vigne. Spiegel om wel te sterven, annwyzende met beeltenissen van het lyden onses zaligmaakers Jesu Christi. Verzierd met 42 fyne Geërste Kopere Platen, Door Romain de Hooghe; Te Amsterdam, Voor dezen gedrukt by J. Stigter. Size: 4to, 27.2 x 21.6 cm. Binding: Late 19th century brown calf over marbled boards, spine with gilt lettering, raised bands, double fillet blind panels in compartments; marbled end-papers; bookplate of Samuel Ashton Thompson Yates library, AD 1894. Book illustrated with 42 copperplate etched engravings by Romeyn de Hooghe (Dutch, Amsterdam 1645–1708 Haarlem). According to Bonhams: the plates were "first printed for David de la Vigne's Miroir de la bonne mort. Each of the plates depicts a man contemplating a religious image in order to ease the passing of death, accompanied by commentary and an appropriate verse of scripture for each plate. The present French edition is bound with, as issued, the Dutch translation of David de La Vigne's aforementioned work."  
  • Bando Mitsugoro II as Soga no Taro Sukenobu, the step-father of the Soga brothers, and Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Onio's wife Tsukisayo, in the play 'Omonbi Kuruwa Soga' performed at the Ichimura-za in the 1st month of 1799. Reference: Harvard Art Museums accession number 1933.4.525. Publications: Narazaki Muneshige, Ukiyo-e shuka [Collection of the Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e Prints in Museums] Volume 8: Foggu Bijutsukan [Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University], Neruson Bijutsukan [Nelson Atkins Museum]..., Shogaku-kan (Tokyo, Japan, 1980 [Showa 55]), Color Plate 107; p. 104 (entry p. 191). SOLD
  • An unsigned print, presumably by Katsukawa Shunshō that presumably depicts a kabuki actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II. I was not able to find any reference of the image. Size: Hosoban. According to The actor's image. Print makers of the Katsukawa School. Timothy T. Clark and Osamu Ueda with Donald Jenkins. Naomi Noble Richard, editor The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Princeton  University Press, 1994, Ichikawa Monnosuke II was born in 1743, in Ōji Takinogawa, Edo. He died on October 19, 1974. His specialities were young male roles (wakashu) and male leads (tachi yaku). He was considered to be one of the four best young actors of his day.
  • Katsukawa Shun'ei. Signed: Shun'ei ga (春英画). Vertical Ōban. No reference whatsoever. Unidentified play, actors, roles, year, theatre. SOLD  
  • Artist (attributed, no signature): Suzuki Harunobu [鈴木 春信] (Japanese, c. 1725 – 1770). The title is taken from [LIB-1478.2013] Gian Carlo Calza, Stefania Piotti. Poem of the pillow and other stories. — Phaidon Press, 2010; pp. 148-9. Alternative title: Man sucking woman's breast and a cat sitting under a bonsai tree. The open book beside the couple reads 子春 (Koharu). Woodblock print from the series Mirror Picture of Japan (Wakoku kagami);  Size: Horizontal chuban; 21 x 26 cm.  
  • Audrey Hepburn [Audrey Kathleen Ruston] (British, 1929 – 1993) black and white head-shot in profile to right, pre-production photo testing hairstyle. "War and Peace", a 1956 epic historical drama film based on Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel of the same name. Stamp on verso: Blue ink, in oval, "AUDREY | HEPBURN | The Personal Collection Part III | May 2018 | CHRISTIE'S || Size: 12.0 x 17.5 cm sheet; 12.0 x 16.7 cm image. Condition: small abrasion to cheek and rough lower edge. Certificate of authenticity from John Reznikoff, University Archives.
  • Hand-coloured etching from the series Historische Denkwürdigkeiten für gemütliche Leser by an anonymous German artist, printed c. 1815.
  • Kominato in Awa province [Awa Kominato] – one of five fan prints in the series Famous places in the Bōsō peninsula [Bōsō meisho], devoted to the trip undertaken by Hiroshige in 1852 to Bōsō peninsula (present-day Chiba prefecture). “Two fashionably dressed women beside the veranda of a wayside inn gaze out over Uchiura Bay toward the Tanjō Temple on the far shore, as a boat sets out to the sea from the fishing hamlet of Kominato. …Hiroshige’s viewpoint is from the lower slopes of Mount Kiyosumi”. Ref: Sebastian Izzard. Important Japanese Prints 1830–1860 March 14–20, 2020 exhibition [LIB-2398.2020], №. 52. Not in Faulkner's Hiroshige Fan Prints. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige [歌川 広重] a.k.a. Andō Hiroshige [安藤 広重] (Japanese, 1797 – 1858). Publisher: Tsujiya Yasubei [辻屋安兵衛] Kinkaido [錦魁堂] (Japanese, c. 1842 – 1863) Date seal and double nanushi censor seal: Mera & Watanabe; Kaei 5, 11th month (1852). Signed: Hiroshige ga [広重 画] in a red cartouche. Size: Fan print (Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e); 225 x 292 mm.
  • Description: Pictorial album 29.7 x 24 cm, bound in ¾ red morocco over marbled boards with gilt lettering “LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE DES ROMANS” and raised bands to spine; marbled endpapers, two flyleaves, tan original wrapper lettered “La Bibliothèque des Romans. (gothic, arch) | {colour vignette} | UNE VEILLÉE DE JEUNE FILLE. | 1840. || Six hand-coloured lithographs, each in a double-rule border with the series title above it and image title below. Sequential numbers are hand-inscribed within the border in the upper-right corner. Frame 23.5 x 18.3 cm, image 21.5 x 16.5 cm. Three flyleaves at the end. A bookplate to front pastedown: “GERARD NORDMANN EX-LIBRIS”. Content:
    1. Front wrapper (title-page)
    2. SŒUR ANNE (Sister Anne)
    3. LA GRISETTE (The grisette)
    4. LÉONIDE OU LA VIEILLE DE SURÊNE (Léonide or the old lady of Surêne)
    5. LA PUCELLE DE BELLEVILLE (The maid of Belleville)
    6. MON VOISIN RAYMOND (My neighbor Raymond)
    7. LE COCU (The cuckold)
    Catalogue raisonné: Nordmann/Christie’s (I) № 127, p. 86 (Lithographic title and 6 erotic plates, in the Romantic style of Achille Devéria. Original pictorial front wrapper preserved) Provenance: Gérard Nordmann (French, 1930 – 1992). Achille Jacques-Jean-Marie Devéria (French, 1800 – 1857).
  • Photographic portrait of poet Joseph Brodsky, head and shoulders, turned slightly right, looking slightly to the right. Pencil-signed on the mat: 5/45 • Mikhail Lemkhin; same inscription on the back of the print, and ink stamp ©Mikhail Lemkhin. Sitter: Joseph Brodsky [Иосиф Александрович Бродский ] (Russian-American-Jewish, 1940 – 1996). Size: mat: 35.7 x 43.3 cm; window: 19.5 x 23 cm; print: 20.3 x 25.3 cm.
  • Colour (tone) lithography, image 396 x 508 mm, sheet 532 x 654 mm; before signature, undated; pencil ms inscription: Föhrenhain — E. Pelikan / 200M to the lower-right corner of the sheet. Contributor: Emilie Mediz-Pelikan (Austrian, 1861 – 1908) – artist. Seller's description: Austrian-German painter and graphic artist. Emilie Mediz-Pelikan was born in Vöcklabruck in 1861. She studied at the Vienna Academy and followed her teacher Albert Zimmermann to Salzburg and in 1885 to Munich. In 1891 she married the painter and graphic artist Karl Mediz (1868 - 1945), with whom she lived in Vienna and from 1894 in Dresden. She was in contact with the Dachau Artists' Colony and went on study trips to Paris, Belgium, Hungary and Italy. In the Dachau artists' colony she was friends with Adolf Hölzel and Fritz von Uhde. In 1889 and 1890 she spent time in Paris and in the Belgian artists' colony Knokke. In 1898 she was represented at the first art exhibition of the Vienna Secession, and in 1901 at the International Art Exhibition in Dresden. In 1903 she and her husband had a group exhibition, at the Hagenbund in Vienna. In 1904, she showed graphic works at the Dresden royal court art dealer Richter, and in 1905 and 1906 she exhibited at the Berlin Künstlerhaus. It was not until around 1900 that she achieved her artistic breakthrough with her landscape paintings. Since the estate of the artist, who died prematurely in Dresden in 1908, was lost in the former GDR until the 1980s, it was quite late that the artist was rediscovered and revalued both in Austrian art history and on the art market. In 1986, the first major exhibitions took place at the Upper Austrian State Museum and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, followed by numerous smaller exhibitions in private galleries in Vienna, Linz and Munich. The artist received recognition during her lifetime from numerous prominent fellow painters as well as from the art critic Ludwig Hevesi. Together with Tina Blau, Herbert Boeckl, Marie Egner, Theodor von Hörmann, Franz Jaschke, Eugen Jettel, Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, Rudolf Junk, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Johann Victor Krämer, Heinrich Kühn, Carl Moll, Rudolf Quittner, Rudolf Ribarz, Emil Jakob Schindler, Max Suppantschitsch, Max Weiler, Olga Wisinger-Florian and Alfred Zoff, she was a protagonist of the reception of Impressionism in Austria. This style went down in Austrian art history under the term "Stimmungsimpressionismus".
  • Hand-coloured woodcut on wove paper, 610 x 390 mm; black ink stamp “5207” to reverse, attached to a larger sheet of thick paper with a red ink stamp: “COLLECTION JEAN-CLAUD LACHNITT | REPRODUCTION INTERDIT”. Top: Baptême de S. A. le PRINCE IMPÉRIAL. 14 Juin 1856; image of baptism of Prince-Impérial; two-column text with a small loss in the lower left corner (C'est à cinq heures du soir que le cortège impérial quitta le Palais des Tuileries. De nombreux escadrons de cavalerie, musique en tête ouvraient la marche. ...); bottom under the text: "Fabrique d'Images de GANGEL, à Metz." — "49".  
  • Pictorial album of 20 hand-coloured wood engravings by Firmin Gillot after Alfred Grévin; numbered 1 to 20, bound with tissue guards in half-brown cloth over marbled boards, publisher's gilt-lettered blue wrappers preserved, purple-blueish endpapers. Front wrapper (gilt on blue): LES FILLES D'EVE | ALBUM | DE TRAVESTISSEMENTS | PLUS OU MOINS | HISTORIQUES | Par A. GRÉVIN | — | PARIS | AUX BUREAUX : DU JOURNAL AMUSANT, DES MODES PARISIENNES | DE LA TOILETTE DE PARIS ET DU PETIT JOURNAL POUR RIRE | 20. Rue Bergère. || ; Henri Plon's imprint to back wrapper. Contributors: Grevin, Alfred (French, 1827 – 1892) Gillot, Firmin (French, 1820 – 1872) Plon, Henri (French, 1806 – 1872) Ref.: Metropoliten Museum.
  • UTAGAWA TOYOKUNI I (1769–1825) Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (Ebizo V) in a shibaraku costume bursting through a paper screen. Surimono. Colour woodblock print: shikishiban, 8⅛ x 7⅛ in. (20.7 x 18.2 cm) Signed: Toyokuni ga Poem signed: Sakuragawa Jihinari Provenance: Sidney C. Ward
  • Seated portrait of Russian diplomat Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov (Семён Романович Воронцо́в; 26 June 1744 – 9 July 1832). Engraved by August Weger (Born: 1823 in Nürnberg; died: 1892 in Leipzig) from the portrait painted by Richard Evans (1784–1871). Circa 1825-50.  Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov, the son of Count Roman Illarionovich and Marfa Ivanovna Surmina, was born on June 15, 1744; Active Privy Councillor; Ambassador to Venice and London from 1784, for over 20 years. Died in London on June 26, 1832.

    Inscription: Графъ Семенъ Романовичь Воронцовъ. Родился въ Москвѣ Iюня 15-го/26 1744, Скончался въ Лондонѣ Iюня 9-го/21 1822. | Le Comte Simon Woronzow. né à Moscou le 26 Juin 1744, Mort à Londres le 21 Juin 1832.  | Richd. Evans, Peintre. - Gravé par A. Weger, Leipzig. Vorontsov family coat of arms in the middle.

    Dimensions: 23 x 15 cm. Ref.: Подробный словарь русских гравированных портретов Д. А. Ровинского, том. 1, 534-540.
  • Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Mikawaya Heiroku [三川屋平六] (Japanese, fl. c. 1848 – 1856); seal: Mihei [三平] (Marks 11-016 | 325a) Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – Hori Take. Date seal and aratame censor seal: [辰正] Ansei 3, 1st month (1856). Inscriptions: Right cartouche: Three good fortunes of the present day [当世三福対] (Tosei sambuku tsui) Center cartouche: Ubuge no Kintaro [産毛の金太郎] (うぶげのきんたろう)  According to Horst Graebner, the play is Tomigaoka koi no Yamabiraki (or Tomioka Koi no Yamabiraki [富岡戀山開], according to kabuki21.com, common title Ninin Shinbē [二人新兵衛]); Kintarō might be Nakamura Fukusuke I [中村福助], the female role might be Mikuni Kojorō [三国小女郎] (or Mikuni no Kojorō). Nakamura Shikan IV [中村芝翫] (Japanese, 1831 –  1899); other names: Nakamura Fukusuke I, Nakamura Masanosuke I, Nakamura Komasaburō, Nakamura Tamatarō I.
  • Artist: Utagawa Toyohiro [歌川豐廣] (Japanese, 1773 – 1828) Publisher: Takasu Soshichi (Marks 25-247 / 517) Size: pillar print (hashira-e), 69.2 x 13 cm.

    Signed: Toyohiro ga [豐廣画]

    Catalogue raisonné: Jacob Pins, The Japanese Pillar Print, № 923, p. 326.
  • VALENCENA, QUONDAM | CYGNORUM VALLIS | URBS HAN: PERELEGÃS | ET VALDE MAGNIFICA. ||

    Engraved and hand-coloured map of Valenciennes first produced for Braun & Hogenberg's 6-volume Civitates orbis terrarum edition in 1570.

    English translation of the text printed on verso: "The Loire, an exceedingly well-known river in France, flows directly past the city and is very beneficial for trade. The fields surrounding the city are very fertile, and for this reason, the city is also called the granary throughout France, just as in earlier times Sicily was the granary of Rome. A famous wine also grows in this soil, which is exported from here not only throughout France but to all the countries in Europe. [...] The French spoken here is pure and uncorrupted, which is also the reason why so many foreigners settle here. For some are here for trade, others for study and others again to acquire the language, but also many without doubt for both these last two reasons, [...] and Germans, in particular, send their children here." [by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.]

    Dimensions: Sheet: 39.8 x 53.5 cm; Image: 35.2 x 38.5 cm.

    Probably published in Cologne is 1612-18 by Petrum à Brachel: [Coloniae Agrippinae: apud Petrum à Brachel, sumptibus auctorum, 1612-1618]. Ref: LOC.

    Georg Braun [Brunus; Bruin] (German, 1541 – 1622).

    Frans Hogenberg (Flemish-German, 1535 – 1590).

    Abraham Ortelius [Ortels; Orthellius; Wortels] (Dutch, 1527 – 1598).
  • An uncut fan print uchiwa-e, size 22.7 x 28.7cm, by an unknown artist.
  • Artist: Utagawa Sadahide [歌川 貞秀], a.k.a. Gountei Sadahide [五雲亭 貞秀] (1807 – c. 1878/9). Signed: Gountei Sadahide ga [五雲亭貞秀画] Pubisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, 1815 – 1869) Date-aratame seal: Bunsei 13 / Tenpō 1 (1830). Ref: Ritsumeikan University # Z0172-587. Title: The tatami night robe of Iwao [巌の畳夜着] (Kyusue Iwao no tatami yogi); 灸すゑ巌の畳夜着(きゅうすえいわおのたたみよぎ。「灸すえ」– one of the main melodies in katōbushi (河東節) type of jōruri [浄瑠璃]. For a detailed explanation in Japanese, see also HERE). The night robe of Iwao is decorated with characters resembling Arabic numerals, and Latin and Cyrillic letters. A similar kimono can be seen on Kunisada's print Hotoke Gozen, Mirror of Virtuous and Wise Women (Kenjo Kagami) at RISD museum accession number 13.1383, portraying Hotoke Gozen (佛御前), a character of The Tale of the Heike [平家物語] (Heike Monogatari); published by Yamamotoya Heikichi (山本屋平吉) (Japanese, fl. c. 1812 – 1886) in the 1830s (see below).

    RISDM 13-1383

    A series of three prints is dedicated to a katōbushi performance of the Soga-themed plays.
    Yukari no Edo-zakura The tatami night robe of Iwao Tangled Hair and the Evening Braided Hat
    They all have a background of hail patterns (Arare-ko-mon) [霰小紋], similar to Kunisada’s Iwai Kumesaburō II as An no Heibei [SVJP-0304.2019], see below. Utagawa Kunisada, a.k.a. Toyokuni III . Kabuki actor Iwai Kumesaburō II as An no Heibei 1829
  • Artist: Utagawa Kunisada, a.k.a. Toyokuni III (Japanese, 1786 – 1865) [歌川 国貞]. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. C. 1845 – 1847). Date aratame seal: Bunsei 12 (1829). Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭国貞画]. Media: Fan print (uchiwa-e), 238 x 267 mm (overtrimmed). Actor: Iwai Shijaku I [紫若] (Japanese, 1804 – 1845); other names: Iwai Matsunosuke I [岩井松之助]; Iwai Hanshirō VII, Iwai Shijaku I, Iwai Komurasaki I. The background is Arare-ko-mon [霰小紋] hail pattern. In the red cartouche at the top right is the series title "Edo no hana – itsutsu Karigane" (江戸の花 五雁金), to be translated as "Flowers of Edo - the five Karigane blood-brothers" (or "the five Karigane gang members"). Another print from the series in this collection: SVJP-0304.2019.
  • Hand-coloured woodcut on wove paper, 430 x 285 mm; black ink stamp “5051” to reverse. Top right: "GÉNÉRAL | de division." — "359." Bottom: "Imagerie de DIDION, à Metz. Déposé." Paulin Didion (French, 1831 – 1879) – publisher/printer.
  • Drawing on both sides; Pen and wash, india ink, gouache, on cardboard, 225 x 140 mm, black ink stamp to verso: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”, remnants of hinges. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961).
  • Mori Sosen (1747-1821). Seated Monkey. Hanging scroll painting. Ink and colour on silk. Signed: Sosen. Sealed: Sosen. 28.8 x 33.3 cm.
  • The Seven Gods of Good Luck in the Takarabune (ship of fortune) with a crane (the phoenix) above them.

    Attributed to Katsukawa Shunshō, fl. 1726–92. Publisher: Uemura from Shiba (Edo). Marks "Publishers": U361|25-300: Uemura han (1793-1813). Marks "Artists, publishers...": Emiya Kichiemon (1688-1835). Artist signature absent. Looks very much like Pins #565 [p.223], but NOT the same. This exact design has not been found anywhere.

  • The portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 – 1536), half-length, head to the right, body facing right, looking away, in a trompe-l'oeil octagonal frame. Inscriptions: Top right: Tom IV, pag. 686. Center of the image: DIDIER ERASME / Ne a Rotterdam en 1467, mort a Basle en 1536. Bottom of the plate: Holbein pinxit | Flipart Sculp. From the book Histoire générale des Provinces-Unies by Bénigne Dujardin (French, 1689 – 1771?) and Gottfried Sellius (real name Gottfried Sell) (1704? – 1767), published in 1757 in Paris by P. G. Simon. Volume 4, facing p. 686. Size: Sheet: 25 x 17.5 cm; Plate: 19.5 x 13.5 cm; Image: 18 x 12 cm. References: (1) Van Someren v.2, p.249, №1688; (2) https://archive.org/details/histoiregnra04duja/page/n714/mode/2up. Inscription above the plate: nut ink, hand, "231".
  • Charges sur le Communisme, le socialisme et sur les idées de ce genre par les dessinateurs du Charivari. Binding: original cardboard. Catalogue raisonée: Hazard & Delteil 1904 / Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre lithographié de Honoré Daumier [LIB-2176.2019 in this collection], p. 267: 20 illustrations by Daumier, Cham, Vernier, Ed. de Beaumont. Sticker: Vendu par Francois, Grande-Rue №33, à Rouen. Bought in Paris, seller claimed 1848, first edition. Similar title here : #31. Charges sur le communisme Le socialisme et sur les idées de ce genre par les dessinateurs. Paris, Chez Aubert & Cie., Éditeurs du Journal pour rire, sans date (vers 1865). Relié, plein cartonnage vert décoré et illustré de l'éditeur, in-folio (34,5 x 26 cm) de 20 planches lithographiées. 250 €. Caricatures par Cham (11), Gustave Janet (1), ADC (1), sans nom (3), Daumier (1), Lorentz-Jean-Paul Laurens (3). Nous trouvons pour ce même cartonnage des recueils différents à diverses périodes ; le nôtre doit dater des années 1865-67, moment où Jean-Pierre Laurens fut condamné par la justice du Second Empire pour son anticléricalisme.  
  • Etching on wove paper, depicting an old woman trying to thread a needle. Signed in plate: "Felicien Rops, 76 Septembre". Owner's stamp LvM on verso.

    Dimensions: Paper: 51.9 x 35 cm; Plate: 27.5 x 21 cm; Image: 23.5 x 16 cm.

    Catalogue raisonné: Arthur Hubschmid (1977): 358; Graphics irreverent and erotic (1968): 54.

  • Top right: EASTERN DIVISION OF | PARIS. | Containing the Quartiers | {5 lines in italic} | Published under the Superintendence of the Society for the | Diffusion of Useful Knowledge || Bottom left:  WESTERN DIVISION OF | PARIS. | Containing the Quartiers | {4 lines in italic} | Published under the Superintendence of the Society for the | Diffusion of Useful Knowledge || Under the frame: Drawn by W. B. Clarke, Archt. […] Published by Baldwin & Cradock, 47 Paternoster Row, A April 1st, 1834. [...] Engraved by J. Shury || Dimensions: Sheet: 40.8 x 57 cm; Image: 38.7 x 52.5 cm. Contributors: William Barnard Clarke (British, 1806 – 1865) – artist. John Shury (fl. c. 1814-1844) – engraver. Baldwin & Cradock (London) – publisher. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) (British firm, 1826 – 1846).
  • Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a yellow toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Unknown, seal [久] Kyū (Japanese, fl. c. 1851 – 1861); (Marks 07-023 | U176a, possibly Sagamia Kyūzō). Date seal and double nanushi censor seals: Fuku & Muramatsu, Kaei 6, 2nd month (2/1853). Inscription in a red cartouche: (Purple of Edo // Purple of the Bay Capital) [江都むらさき] (Edo Murasaki), alluding to Murasaki Shikibu [紫 式部] (Japanese, c. 973/8 – c. 1014/31), the author of Genji Monogatari [源氏物語] (The Tale of Genji), a Heian period novel which was the source of a parody Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji [偐紫田舎源氏] (Fake Murasaki’s Rustic Genji) by Ryutei Tanehiko [柳亭種彦] (Japanese, 1783 – 1842). According to Horst Graebner: The actor is most probably Onoe Baikō IV [四代目尾上菊五郞] Onoe Kikugorō IV [四代目 尾上菊五郎] (Japanese, 1808 – 1860); other names: Onoe Baikō IV, Onoe Eizaburō III, Onoe Kikue, Nakamura Tatsuzō, Nakamura Kachō. One of the series of Kunisada's fan prints in this collection:
  • An uncut aizuri fan print showing travellers arriving at Inba Lake [印旛沼] (Inba-numaon Shimosa Plateau [下総台地] (Shimōsa-daichi). Artist: Utagawa Sadahide [歌川貞秀] (Japanese, 1807 – 1879) Publisher: Unknown. Published: c. 1849. Signed: Gountei Sadahide ga [五雲亭 貞秀画] (Picture by Gountei Sadahide). Inscription in cartouche: Shimosa Plateau, Inbanuma (Inba Lake) [下總國印幡沼]. No date seal, no censor seal (privately printed?) Media: Fan print [団扇絵] (uchiwa-e), 235 x 300 mm.
  • Six in-folio leaves, 2o, incl. title-page, engraved portrait of P. Fendi after Josef Danhauser, 4 pages of printed text, and 10 of 40 colour photomechanical reproductions of Fendi’s watercolour plates (205 x 140 mm), mounted on vellum paper with blind stamp (398 x 305 mm) in a parchment-backed flapped album (defective), gilt-stamped, with straps. Limited edition of 600 copies. The publisher is not stated but is sometimes attributed to C. W. Stern in Vienna. Limitation statement and imprint missing. Title-page (brown and black): PETER FENDI | VIERZIG EROTISCHE AQUARELLE | IN FAKSIMILEREPRODUKTION. MIT EINEM PORTRÄT | PETER FENDIS VON JOSEF DANHAUSER | UND EINER EINFÜHRUNG | VON KARL MERKER || Catalogue Raisonné: Nordmann II № 198, p.96. Contributors: Peter Fendi (Austrian, 1796 – 1842) Josef Danhauser (Austian, 1805 – 1845) Karl Merker – author/introduction.