Edition details
Studies from Nature. (5v. plus commentary volume). Illustrated by Kitagawa Utamaro. Translated by John T. Carpenter. Essays by John T. Carpenter, Alfred Haft and Alex Kerr. FACSIMILES - Two volumes of The Book of Crawling Creatures Japanese sewn binding; Gifts of the Ebb Tide concertina binding; Two volumes of The Book of Myriad Birds concertina binding. All volumes bound in Twist paper printed with original designs redrawn by Neil Gower. Printed paper labels with titles in English and in Japanese script. Illustrations and poems printed on Papermilk paper. 100 pages in total. Each 10¾x8¼in. Limitation certificate wrapped in Watermark Unryu White Japanese paper. COMMENTARY - Bound in Twist paper blocked in gold. 160pp. PRESENTATION BOX - Cloth-covered box lined with paper printed to complement the bindings and tied twice with grosgrain ribbon. Paper label with title in English and Japanese script. 500 copies. (£495)
About the book
Kitagawa Utamaro's Studies from Nature presents exquisite Japanese woodblock images of insects, birds, shells, plants and other subjects from the natural world, accompanied by poetry. Created in the late eighteenth century, these works combine close observation with the refined design of ukiyo-e print culture, revealing Utamaro's sensitivity to seasonal change, delicate forms and the relationship between image and verse.
