Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (Momoyogusa), vols. 1–3

Description

This set of three woodblock printed folding-books displays the graphic design prowess of Kamisaka Sekka. The images were first distributed one by one to subscribers to the series but later were reissued in bound form, like these books, for mass consumers. Each print features a vignette taken from nature or Japanese literature. Many of the scenes have a long history in Japan, originating in the 900s or 1000s and having been interpreted by all manner of artists since that time. Sekka’s selections hew closely to precedents from the Rinpa style originated by painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c. 1570–c. 1640) and calligrapher Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637).

Provenance

(Minoru Hosomi, Osaka, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1988); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1988-)

Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (Momoyogusa), vols. 1–3

Kamisaka Sekka

1909–10

Accession Number

1988.23

Medium

set of three woodblock printed folding-books; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 29.9 x 22.1 cm (11 3/4 x 8 11/16 in.)

Classification

Bound Volume

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund