The Masterpieces of Chikuden

The Masterpieces of Chikuden

1935 First Edition.  Two volume set.  Very large elephant folios (17" x 22") original half calf and cloth, lettered in gilt (in English) on front cover, and in Japanese and English on spines.  Bound left to right, Japanese fashion, and in Japanese and English with explanations of each painting in English as well.  Vol. 1, 71pp., Vol. 2, 54pp.  **Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835) was a Japanese painter of the Edo period.  He is known for his depictions of nature, often melancholic in style.  Two massive tomes, quite rare in the trade.  OCLC locates 8 copies in the United States but no copies appear in auction records since 1953 and no copies recalled in the trade.  The last set to come to auction was in 1953.  It has been unavailable for 65 years.