JAPANESE ART > UKIYO-E WOODBLOCK PRINTS > PAPER DOLLS

Lot 00602
N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print

Miyagawa Shuntei

PAPER DOLLS

Year: 1897
Condition: very good
Size: 25 x 36,5 cm

SOLD

Delicate representation of four wealthy little girls playing with dolls. In the lower part of the work, the two older girls are making "anesama ningyo" (姉様人形), that is the "big sister dolls" made with washi paper (和紙) and origami (折り紙) paper: a toy very popular among the daughters of rich merchants and samurai since the Edo period (江戸時代).

This fine woodblock print, entitled precisely "Anesama" (あねさま), is taken from the series "Customs and Manners of Small Children" (小供風俗) by Miyagawa Shuntei (宮川春汀), the famous artist known in particular for his scenes of daily life, that offer a charming glimpse into the life of the upper class in the Meiji period (明治時代).

The work, printed in 1897 by the publisher Akiyama Buemon (秋山武右衛門), owner of Kokkeido (滑稽堂), is in very good general condition.

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