Japanese woodblock rare books

Hand-coloured woodblock prints on handmade rice paper, each numbered and captioned at top, each outlined in ink. Framed in perspex frames; overall size: 49 by 36.7cm.

Six oban tate-e woodblock prints of okubi-e (bust portraits) of beauties, titled Jidai kagami [Mirror of the Ages], documenting the fashions of former times (from the Keicho to the Meiji era) in chronological order, each sheet with a beautiful woman in sumptuous costume depicted at the lower section and a rectangular panel at the top which makes a reference to the era, some sheets with lacquer and embossed details, published by Matsuki Heikichi, variously dated Meiji 29, 30 and 31 (1896-8), all signed Yoshu Chikanobu. Each sheet approx. 36 x 23.7 cm (14 1/8 x 9 3/8 in), framed and glazed.

Title page and 55 of 56 prints (lacking the station Goyu), each sheet in chuban tate-e format (25 x 18.5cm approx.) Contemporary boards, with fuchsia pink decorative endpapers.

Six oban tate-e woodblock prints of okubi-e (bust portraits) of beauties, titled Jidai kagami [Mirror of the Ages], documenting the fashions of former times (from the Keicho to the Meiji era) in chronological order, each sheet with a beautiful woman in sumptuous costume depicted at the lower section and a rectangular panel at the top which makes a reference to the era, some sheets with lacquer and embossed details, published by Matsuki Heikichi, variously dated Meiji 29, 30 and 31 (1896-8), all signed Yoshu Chikanobu. Each sheet approx. 36cm x 23.7cm (14 1/8in x 9 3/8in). Framed and glazed: 40 by 29cm.