Two preliminary images in gold & 17 finely painted continuous images of the steps of producing silk from silkworms & the weaving of silk fabrics, all finely painted on silk and inlaid on thick luxury paper with richly speckled borders of gold, reverse sides decorated with square-cut gold. Two scrolls (both 455 x 6360 mm.), outer front endpapers of heavy silk brocade with images of silk moths, cocoons, & mulberry leaves, wooden inner core rollers. Japan: at end of second scroll (in trans.): “Summer 1900, Bunrei” with the artist’s seal.

Two unusually large illustrated scrolls created by the well-known Kyoto-based... More