In the annals of art production the colour-prints designed by the master artists of the Ukiyoé school occupy a unique place. They represent a plebeian art which was not a spontaneous upgrowth from the soil, but, so to speak, a down-growth or offshoot from an old and highly developed art of aristocratic lineage. This elder art had its fountain-head in ancient China. That country, during the Tang and the Sung dynasties (618-905, 960-1280), was the seat of an aesthetic movement during which p...

This edition features• illustrations• a linked Table of ContentsContentsJAPANESE COLOUR-PRINTS AND THEIR DESIGNERSCATALOGUE OF A LOAN COLLECTION OF JAPANESE COLOUR-PRINTSINTRODUCTIONCATALOGUEIllustrationsHARUNOBU. Lovers walking in Snow.MORONOBU. Nobleman and two Ladies at Seashore.KIYOMASU. Actors' Boating PartyMASANOBU. Geisha playing Samisen.TOYONOBU. Actor reading LetterKIYOMITSU. Daimyo...