Elizabeth Keith (1887-1956)
A bearded old Buddhist priest or abbot, sitting in full ornate on his formal chair in front of a big screen (byôbu), holding his insignia, the hosshu (symbolic fly whisk) in his hands.
Title: Buddhist priest - Kyoto (in pencil, very faintly in lower margin)
Signature: Elizabeth Keith - pencil hand signature in lower right
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô, Tokyo
Date: 1925
Format: Vertical Ôban, 39 x 25,6 cm (overall)
Excellent impression, very good colours (a little faded). Margins (except bottom) trimmed to the image, lower left corner minimally bevelled. Verso a little bit toned, in margins partly stained from previous mounting. Very good overall condition.
Very rare. The original edition was supposed to be 100 copies, but only a small part of it was finally printed.
Richard Miles, Elizabeth Keith. The Printed Works. Pacific Asia Museum, 1991, p. 28, no. 99.
For the artist see also Merritt/Yamada, Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975. Honolulu 1992, p. 63; Amy Reigle Stephens et al., The new wave, London/Leiden 1993, p. 214 ff.
€ 1.100,-