Japanese Art Book Views
The acquisition of most of the twentieth-century printed books and a few scrolls is in large part the work of Robert Rainwater, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Librarian of Art, Prints and Photographs, and Curator of the Spencer Collection, who retired in 2005. Working with booksellers in Japan and Europe, and with private collectors in the United States, he built up the printed components of the collection, so that the Spencer Collection now constitutes a major repository for the Japanese book arts, in quantity as well as in quality.
Additionally, there is a notable collection of Japanese prints in the Print Collection of The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Developed from the 1901 founding gift by Charles Stewart Smith of 1,763 prints of the ukiyo-e school, its holdings now comprise some 2,000 prints, representing Japanese printmaking up to the present, as well as nearly 100 printed books.
Among the most beautiful and moving books ever created, ehon - or h"picture books,c" in Japanese; a"e " = picture; o"hon," = book - are one of the true glories of Japanese art but are little known today, even in Japan, because of their great rarity. This digital presentation offers a glimpse of the wonderful variety of ehon, their breathtaking exuberance, sophisticated artistry, sensuality, unparalleled originality, intellectual gravity, playful spirit, and lightness of touch.
Ehon are part of an incomparable 1,230-year-old Japanese tradition. Created by artists and craftsmen, most ehon also feature essays, poems, or other texts written in beautiful, distinctive calligraphy. They are by nature collaborations: visual artists, calligraphers, writers, and designers join forces with papermakers, binders, block cutters, and printers. The books they create are strikingly beautiful, highly charged microcosms of deep feeling, sharp intensity, and extraordinary intelligence.
Japanese Art Book Images
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