“Album of 26 drawings of Women by Nishikawa Sukenobu – Mid-19th Century likely by Suzuki Kiitsu”

“Album of 26 drawings of Women by Nishikawa Sukenobu Mid-19th Century copy likely by Suzuki Kiitsu ”

Album 28 x 19cm approx. (Drawings 28 x 38 cm approx).

These 26 drawings are 19th Century copies of Sukenobu’s work “Ehon Tokiwagusa”. They are likely by Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858) , an artist from the Rinpa school, as his signature appears on some of the drawings. The images are sensitively drawn in traditional landscapes. Around the edges of the images, further doodles show rough sketches of women’s faces, while red pen is used on another image to mark the outline of a proposed page layout.

Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1750) was born in Kyoto where he lived and worked for his whole life. He studied art in the Tosa, Kano and Ukiyo-e schools and although he produced paintings and drawings, most of his body of work was in books which became popular throughout Japan during his lifetime. In his work he often combined various style, but he is most well known for his images of women often in a Ukiyo-e style. The women he depicted in his “ehon” were of all classes from the empress to courtesans and were depicted in traditional Japanese landscapes.

 Very good condition. Folding accordion ehon with late 19th century covers. Early 20th Century quarter leather Western slipcase with some wear. Tears to several centrefolds sometimes entering image.

Provenance: Arthur Davison Ficke (1883-1945) – Japanese art collector and dealer