[Japanese fabric design] Hasegawa, K.
Keikazuan. [Illustrated book of fabric designs in three volumes].
Kyoto, Keika Hasegawa, 1905. In three volumes. Large 8vo size (24.1 x 16.4 cm). 60 [20; 20; 20] folded leaves, each with two (recto, verso) or more hand-coloured illustrations, several heightened with silver. Original near uniform hand-coloured pictorial soft covers.
A breathtakingly beautiful, inspiring collection of hand-coloured wood engravings by the Japanese artist Keika Hasegawa (active in the late 19th and early 20th century). The very colourful designs are in various styles: some are pictorial (e.g. a harbour scene; a boat race in "drone"-view), while others show flowers, leaves, feathers, and animals in various degrees of abstraction, often using bold and unexpected but well-balanced colours. The bookblocks and covers are original. A very good set.