- Home
- Fine Art
- Prints
- Original Prints
- Late 19th Century "Mirror of the Ages" Japanese W…
Late 19th Century "Mirror of the Ages" Japanese Woodblock Portrait Print by Yoshu Chikanobu
This product is no longer available.
Details
Description
An oban tate-e woodblock print of okubi-e (bust portraits) of beauties, titled Jidai kagami (Mirror of the Ages), documenting the …
more
An oban tate-e woodblock print of okubi-e (bust portraits) of beauties, titled Jidai kagami (Mirror of the Ages), documenting the fashions of former times (from the Keicho to the Meiji era) in chronological order, each sheet with a beautiful woman in sumptuous costume depicted at the lower section and a rectangular panel at the top which makes a reference to the era, published by Matsuki Heikichi, variously dated Meiji 29, 30 and 31 (1896-8), all signed Yoshu Chikanobu.
Toyohara Chikanobu (1838–1912), better known to his contemporaries as Yōshū Chikanobu, was one of the most successful woodblock print artists of Japan's Meiji period. He lived at a time when Japan saw the reinstatement of the emperor as ruler and underwent rapid westernization. He worked both with traditional subjects, such as actors, courtesans, scenes of famous sites, beautiful women, and with topical subjects, such as the Satsuma Rebellion (1877) and the Sino-Japanese War (Chikanobu used the flat planes and decorative patterning of the ukiyo-e tradition to striking effect, adding brilliant colors, especially reds, purples, and blues to his compositions.
More precisely, Ukiyo-e, or ukiyo-ye (in Japanese: "pictures of the floating world"), is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that flourished in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. It was aimed at the prosperous merchant class in the urbanizing Edo period (1603–1867). Amongst the popular themes were depictions of beautiful women, as is the case here with these okubi-e prints (i.e. bust portraits); kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica.
One of Chikanobu’s best series, A Mirror of the Ages shows women by fashion and hair style throughout history. Despite a sense of longing for the past, these prints are unmistakably modern and of their time. Each print depicts a beauty from a certain period in the lower part and customs at that time, in grisaille, in the upper part - a way to tell viewers about the latest fashion and historical backgroud at that time. The quality of printing is outstanding, especially in Chikanobu’s use of white for the rendering of the powdered faces. Indeed, Chikanobu was known as a master of bijinga (images of beautiful women), and for illustrating changes in women's fashion, including both traditional and Western clothing. For example, in the Mirror of Ages, the hair styles of the Tenmei era (re distinguished from those of the Keiō era (1865-1867).
To create a woodblock print, artists like Chikanobu first designed the image on paper and then transferred it to a thin, partly transparent paper. Following the lines on the paper, now pasted to a wooden block usually of cherry wood, the carver used to chisel and cut to create the original in negative—with the lines and areas to be coloured raised in relief. Ink was then applied to the surface of the woodblock. Rubbing a round pad over the back of a piece of paper laid over the top of the inked board eventually made the print.
Chikanobu was able to produce such bright and colourful prints because in 1765, new technology had made it possible to produce single-sheet prints in a whole range of colours. Polychrome prints were made using a separate carved block for each color, which could number up to twenty. To print with precision using numerous blocks on a single paper sheet, a system of placing two cuts on the edge of each block to serve as alignment guides was employed. Paper made from the inner bark of mulberry trees was favored, as it was strong enough to withstand numerous rubbings on the various woodblocks and sufficiently absorbent to take up the ink and pigments. Reproductions, sometimes numbering in the thousands, could be made until the carvings on the woodblocks became worn.
The present print follows the oban format, which is the most common print size. It corresponds to half a large hosho sheet, in other words about 24x37 cm. The word “tate-e” refers to the alignment of the print; in this case, a vertically aligned print.
less
- Dimensions
- 9.25ʺW × 0.5ʺD × 14.25ʺH
- Frame Type
- Unframed
- Period
- Late 19th Century
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Paper
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Black
- Condition Notes
- Condition good, some light imperfections due to age and paper, but nothing serious. Upper right corner a little frayed, otherwise … moreCondition good, some light imperfections due to age and paper, but nothing serious. Upper right corner a little frayed, otherwise good. Will combine shipping if one or more items purchased. less
Need more product details?
Standard Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Extended Return for Trade
- Expands return window for trade members to 14 days (12 days more than our standard return policy)
- Trade member to notify Chairish of intent to return within 14 days of item delivery
- Buyer refunded item cost. Buyer pays return shipping cost
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Questions about the item?
Related Collections
- John Stobart Original Prints
- Alberto Giacometti Original Prints
- Lucia Jones Original Prints
- Roy Algren Original Prints
- Fresco Original Prints
- Mark Kostabi Original Prints
- Minton Original Prints
- Original Prints in Little Rock
- Haley Mathewes Original Prints
- Christo and Jeanne-Claude Original Prints
- Jack Levine Original Prints
- Japanese Woodblock Prints
- Bird Prints
- Black and White Prints
- Framed Prints
- Botanical Prints
- Screen Prints
- Woodblock Prints
- Kristi Kohut Original Prints
- Bernard Charoy Original Prints
- Arthur Secunda Original Prints
- Victor Di Gesu Original Prints
- Shepard Fairey Original Prints
- Post Impressionist Original Prints
- Willem de Kooning Original Prints
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
Shipping
Note: Made-to-Order items typically include a lead time or custom delivery window that is added to the delivery time.
- Chairish Express In-Home Delivery
- Chairish Express In-Home deliveries are currently only offered for international cross-border shipments.
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
- Shipping charges start at $999 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Deliveries can take anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks to be delivered.
- Chairish Freight Delivery
- Delivered in a crate, to your front door.
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate.
- Shipping charges start at $799 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Chairish Freight deliveries can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
- Only available in selected markets.
- Chairish In-Home Delivery
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
-
Shipping charges start at $149 and based on the size and the distance between pickup and delivery
(for approximate values see table):
Delivery Type Within 50 miles radius Within 1,500 miles radius Over 1,500 miles radius International Cross-Border Shipping Price $149 - $299 $199 - $799 $449 - $899 Over $899 Transit Time 2 to 4 weeks 3 to 6 weeks 4 to 8 weeks 12 to 17 weeks - For some items, the shipping price may vary depending on the size, weight, material and/or value of the item.
- Free Local Pickup
- Local pickup allows customers to inspect an item at the time of pickup and avoid shipping costs.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification & Seller's contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate pickup
- Once the item has been picked up (by you or your representative) it cannot be returned or refunded.
- Free Shipping
- Free shipping may be offered on select listings.
- Smaller items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date, while larger items and furniture may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.
- When an item with Free Shipping is returned, the cost of return shipping fees will be charged to the buyer.
- Parcel Delivery
- Shipment is arranged through recognized carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Only pieces that can be safely packed in a box or envelope may be shipped via parcel.
- Shipping charges start at $9 — and vary based on the size, weight, packaging and the value of the item.
Delivery Type US Domestic International Cross-Border Shipping Price $9 - $99 $39 - $499 Transit Time 1 to 2 weeks 2 to 4 weeks - Seller Managed Delivery
- Shipping is offered and managed by the seller, through a shipper of the seller’s choice.
- Available on items at the seller’s discretion.
- Seller Managed Local Delivery
- Local curbside delivery is offered and managed by the seller, within a limited geography.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the confirmation email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification Code & Seller’s contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate delivery.