By Ito Shinsui (1898-1972), signed Shinsui with seal Ito
Japan, dated 1922

Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical dai oban. Set inside a frame, behind glass. Signed Shinsui with seal Ito; publisher Watanabe Shozaburo, numbered 124/200 to the back. Title Yukata (Summer kimono), from the series Shin bijin junisugata (New Twelve Images of Beauties).

SIZE of the sheet 43.5 x 26.5 cm

Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. Slight browning of paper, some creasing, and minor foxing to the outer edge.
Provenance: From the private collection of the daughter of Theodor Scheiwe (1897-1983), one of the most prominent German collectors of woodblock prints. As opposed to the collection of her father, this Westphalian private collection focused on 20^th century prints, shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga, featuring many portraits by the celebrated artist Ito Shinsui, sourced from various auction houses and prominent dealers, and always looking for the very best quality and condition.

Ito Shinsui (1898-1972) studied Japanese painting and began designing woodblock prints for the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo in 1916, with whom he collaborated until 1960. He is best known for his lovely shin-hanga images of beautiful women. These elegant and refined beauties are drawn with graceful line work and softly colored backgrounds. Recognized for his artistic achievements, the Japanese government declared Shinsui an Intangible Cultural Property in 1952, and he received the Order of the Rising Sun in 1970.

The publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) began producing woodblock prints by Ito Shinsui when Shinsui was a still a student of Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972) in 1916. In the summer of 1922, Watanabe and Shinsui began production on this series, Twelve Figures of Modern Beauties (also translated as Twelve Images of Modern Beauties). Although they had already completed thirty prints together by that time, many were chuban-sized landscapes, and only six were bijin-ga. The series was issued from June 1922 in editions of 200, with one print released per month and distributed by the Ukiyo-e Kenkyukai (Association of Ukiyo-e Research).

Museum comparison:
A closely related print, with identical seals, is in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 1930.772.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related print, with identical seals, number 44/200, sold at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 20 March 2007, New York, lot 485 (sold for USD 10,800).