Ito Shinsui - Born in Tokyo, Ito Shinsui 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. His works are a wonderful choice to collect or display.

Comments - Beautiful portrait of a stylishly dressed modern young woman. She wears a blue cap adorned with a small brooch, and has a fur stole wrapped around her shoulders, the animal's yellow eyes just peeking above the fur. She wears a blue-gray coat and carries a red clutch purse under her arm. This lovely image was issued as a special insert by the Jiji Newspaper Company in a limited edition of around 150 prints to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the company's founding. The series depicted beauties from different time periods, here the Showa era, which began in 1926. This terrific shin-hanga woodblock is very rare, and a fantastic choice for a shin hanga collector interested in modern beauty subjects.

Artist - Ito Shinsui (1898 - 1972)

Image Size - 14" x 9 1/4" + margins as shown

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Creasing and soiling, faint stain at right edge. Please see photos for details.