Meiji Period Shunga Album, Twelve Paintings on Silk with Gold, Brocade Covers and Gilt Edges
Meiji Period Shunga Album, Twelve Paintings on Silk with Gold, Brocade Covers and Gilt Edges
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $621, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Character
- Resplendent 9 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
Where each figure is taken · View the plate
Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Gold Laid into Silk
A painted album is the most private form shunga took, and this one is generous with gold in the robes and borders. Twelve interiors unfold like a domestic novel, quiet, humorous and finely observed. It is thought to have been made as a trousseau album.
Best for: Collectors of shunga, Meiji painting and Japanese erotic art
Condition notes
Paintings and gold bright and well preserved. The cloth folding case shows soiling and wear; the album itself is unaffected.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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Twelve shunga paintings on silk, described as Meiji period, each within a border of scattered gold, bound in floral blue brocade with gilt edges.
The Piece
Painted albums of this kind, makura-e or pillow pictures, were opened privately, one leaf at a time, and the finest were made as part of a bride's trousseau, as this one is thought to have been. The painter worked in fine brush and mineral colour on silk, describing every strand of hair and every kimono pattern, and laid real gold into the robes and borders.
The twelve scenes move through a prosperous house: screens painted with landscapes and autumn grasses, a bamboo blind, a tea kettle on a lacquer tray, two playful puppies at the edge of one scene. The figures follow Edo bijin painting, calm and elegant. A brush signature with a red seal appears on the final painting; the Desk has not attributed it.
Details
- Type: Shunga album (makura-e), twelve paintings
- Medium: Colour and gold on silk
- Period: Described as Meiji period (1868 to 1912)
- Signature: Brush signature and seal on one painting, unattributed
- Binding: Floral blue brocade covers with title panel; gilt edges on four sides
- Cover size: About 29.5 x 40.5 cm (11.6 x 15.9 in)
- Each painting: About 24 x 36.5 cm (9.4 x 14.4 in)
- Case: Cloth-covered folding case with title panel
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in).
Condition
- The paintings and their gold remain bright.
- The folding case shows soiling and wear, which does not affect the album.
- Small discs seen in some photographs were placed over details for photography and are not part of the album.
Condition grade B (very good, light wear) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Date and description are as presented to the Desk; no independent appraisal is implied. Keep the album in its case, away from light and damp.
Delivery from Japan
Packed flat by hand in Japan in a rigid carton and shipped discreetly, insured and tracked, by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. More awaits in The Private Room and in our essay on shunga.
Concierge
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Collectors also search: Meiji shunga album on silk · painted makura-e album · Japanese erotic painting album
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