The Tale of the Bamboo Hewer
Freeville, NY: Carol Schwartzott, 2000. Hardcover. Artist's proof number - one of 10 copies signed and numbered by the book artist. This is a marvelous interpretation and production by the noted book artist Carol Schwartzott of this Japanese romance of the 10th century. She states on a accompanying document that The Tale of the Bamboo Hewer is the oldest surviving example of the "monogatori," a word that means "the telling of of things." Scholars date it to around 910. It is known as the ancestor of all romances, ever since Murasaki Shikibu described it in the Tale of Genji. In a second document accompanying the book she writes about how she came to choose this tale for a serious bookwork. She was initially inspired by her collection of her great grandmothers teacups from Japan. In 1997 the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University mounted an exhibit of The Tales of Genji which further inspired her to design, study, and evolve a book that would have an "Asian feel" yet still be hers. Because she believes that a book should be informative as well as beautiful, but realized she was not scholarly enough to do a book focused on Japanese art. But a book by Donald Keene presented his three lectures about Japanese aesthetics, one describing The Tale of the Bamboo Hewer. She says - it felt right for me.
Carol did two editions of her book. This was her first and the more limited edition of the two. It is letterpress printed on a combination of Somerset and Japanese papers. Included are three illustrations, each an individually painted and collaged piece of art, embellished with gold leaf. Within the text are pages of sminagashi, or Japanese watercolor marbling, paste papers, watercolor washes, gold-leafed dropcaps and small block prints. The book's structure is traditional Japanese fold and is presented in a sliding lid box with a drop front. Inside is a divider of bamboo and two replications of the original book, one in English, the other in Japanese. The book is covered in Japanese silk and rayon bookcloth with a paper label. It is housed in a box covered in brown hand-made paper with a light design of bamboo stalks, and lined with paste papers. This complex and fascinating book from Carol is in fine condition. It measures 13 x 8 x 2 inches. Unpaginated [34 pages]. ARTB/061325. Fine.
Item #38016
Price: $1,800.00