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CHIKANOBU, Toyohara (1838 - 1912)		Mirror of historical women ('Jidai kagami') Portait (okubi-e) of Tenna no Koto
		Signed:                  Chikanobu Publisher:             Matsuki Heikichi Date:                      June 1896 Size:                       oban tate-e (c.  35.5 x 24.5 cms / 14" x 9 1/2") Condition: Fine impression, colors and condition. Album backing. ref. no.: # 49 744 Price: € 450.00

Mirror of the ages - as suggested by the title - presents a group of fifty-three bust portraits of beauties from the Kenmu era (1334-36) to the Meiji period. Each image is placed against a related historical backdrop, and the entire series is illustrative of Chikanobu's skill in the genre of 'customs and manners'. For a detailed discussion of the series and Chikanobu's career, please see: "CHIKANOBU - Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints", Claremont, Ca ./ Leiden, NL, 2006; "The New wave - Twentieth century Japanese prints from the Robert O. Muller collection", London and Leiden, 1993, pp. 79-82.

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