A Meiji Collection print, opening at $59 - We purchased an interesting Meiji collection with a variety of prints and artists. We’re offering the prints, over two days, in our market driven $59 opening bid auctions – any high bid wins.

Chikanobu's Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety - The Chinese scholar Guo Jujing wrote the book "The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Devotion" during the Yuan Dynasty. Inspired by the loss of his own parents, he scoured history for examples of the most respectful and devoted children. Alluding to the famous stories of the twenty-four children and their extraordinary devotion to their parents and relatives, Chikanobu's series juxtaposes the paragon in the upper panel with a more modern equivalent below. The artist plays off the old stories, offering serious parallels as well as lighthearted and humorous contrasts in the modern versions.

No. 17, Cai Shun: Picking Mulberries for His Mother, 1891 - Attractive scene of a little boy gathering cherry blossoms petals for his mother. He bends over, absorbed in his task as his mother smiles down at him, carrying a basket in her hand. The inset shows the boy Cai Shun (Sai Jun in Japanese), who went into the forest to gather mulberries to feed his mother to survive. A pair of bandits grabbed him and threatened him, asking why he was collecting the berries in their territory. He replied that the black mulberries were sweet, so they were for his mother, while he would eat the sour red ones. He pleaded with them not to kill him or his mother would be alone, for his father had died many years before. Impressed with his honesty and dedication to his mother, the bandits gave him food and drink to take back to his mother. An interesting composition with lovely detail and soft shading.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Image Size - 13 1/4" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Backed with paper. Slight toning and soiling, a few spots. Please see photos for details. Generally in good condition overall.