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Collections

Kawanabe Kyōsai
Kyōsai's Treatise on Painting, volume 41887

Not on view
Woodblock-printed Japanese book page with a landscape of jagged mountain peaks above vertical columns of cursive Japanese script
Woodblock print with two registers: upper panel shows a mountain landscape with a wide valley and fine line hatching; lower panel depicts a seated figure beside a lantern and scattered objects, with columns of Japanese text throughout.
Woodblock-printed book opening with two landscape illustrations and columns of Japanese cursive script. Left page shows a mountainous scene with rocky cliffs, trees, and a gate structure; right page depicts a wide valley with distant mountain ranges and settled lowlands. Fine ink linework throughout.
Japanese woodblock-printed book opening across two pages; left page shows three figures in outdoor scene with landscape background and vertical columns of Japanese text; right page depicts a gnarled pine tree with a bird perched at its crown, rocky terrain below, and vertical Japanese calligraphic inscriptions with small red seal marks.
Woodblock-printed book spread with Japanese text in cursive script on the right page and a landscape illustration on the left, depicting two figures near a rocky shoreline with flowing water, rendered in fine ink line work.
Japanese woodblock-printed book spread, two pages depicting a chaotic river battle scene with numerous figures on horseback and on foot wading through water, rendered in fine black ink lines with pale blue wash; columns of Japanese cursive script fill the upper portions of both pages.
Woodblock-printed book spread; left page shows a mountain landscape with jagged peaks and three travelers on a path, rendered in fine black lines; right page contains vertical columns of Japanese cursive script.
Japanese woodblock-printed book opening across two pages, depicting a mountain landscape with jagged peaks, forested slopes, and a winding path or settlement at lower right; fine line work with columns of Japanese text and seals in the upper right corner.
Japanese woodblock print page showing a dynamic scene of a warrior figure in flowing robes wielding a long weapon atop rocky terrain amid foliage; columns of Japanese text in a box at lower right and upper left.
Japanese woodblock print across two pages showing crowded multi-level interior scenes with numerous figures including shaved-head monks and laypeople; skeletal figures appear in a dark central area; columns of Japanese text visible in upper corners; fine ink line work throughout.
Woodblock-printed book illustration depicting a mountain landscape with gnarled trees, rocky cliffs, and two small figures in the lower right; vertical columns of Japanese text and a square seal at upper right and lower left.
Woodblock-printed double-page landscape spread showing expansive mountain ranges receding into the distance, with valleys, scattered trees, and architectural structures in the foreground; vertical columns of Japanese text and seals in the upper margins.
Japanese woodblock-printed book spread across two pages, depicting a densely crowded scene of numerous figures gathered within and around an architectural interior, with trees and water visible at left; columns of Japanese text appear in the upper right corner and lower left.
Japanese woodblock-printed book spread showing two interior scenes with multiple figures in traditional robes; left page depicts figures on stairs and a veranda, right page shows figures seated on tatami with shoji screens in background; fine ink line work with Japanese characters in upper right corner.
Japanese woodblock-printed book spread, two pages depicting crowded multi-tiered interior scenes with numerous figures in Edo-period dress; paper lanterns hang above; vertical columns of Japanese script appear at upper right; fine ink line work with light blue wash accents.
Woodblock-printed page with a large black crow perched on a branch, rendered in bold ink washes with loose, expressive brushwork. Columns of Japanese calligraphy and a square seal appear at upper right.
Woodblock-printed book page with four detailed illustrations of fragmentary Japanese armor pieces, shown from multiple angles, rendered in ink wash with fine line detail; vertical columns of Japanese calligraphy at upper right and a red seal at center right.
Woodblock print illustration of fragmentary Japanese armor, showing a kabuto helmet with shikoro neck guard above scattered, damaged lamellar do body armor sections, with fine line work and pale green wash; two Japanese characters at upper right.
Woodblock print of a standing white egret in three-quarter view, with dark legs and beak rendered in bold ink against a vertically lined pale ground.
Woodblock-printed page with two detailed illustrations of carp: an upper view showing the full fish with scaled body and open mouth, and a lower view of the tail section, accompanied by Japanese text columns and a small inset diagram of scales.
Woodblock print with hand-applied blue wash, seated deity figure in flowing robes with a crown bearing the character 王, rendered in fine outline with minimal color; vertical columns of Japanese text at upper right.
Woodblock-printed illustration from a bound book, depicting a seated guardian figure in flowing robes with blue accents, wearing a layered crown, with exaggerated facial features including wide eyes and a broad nose; small Chinese seal mark at upper right.
Woodblock print with hand-applied color depicting a seated deity figure with a red face, fierce expression, and bulging eyes, wearing robes and a flat-topped crown with Chinese characters; holding a rectangular tablet, with pale washes of pink and gray.
Woodblock-printed book illustration with hand-applied color, depicting a seated figure in voluminous robes and a tall hat, with a red demon-like face, raising a flat object in one raised hand; vertical columns of Japanese text and a circular seal at right.
Japanese woodblock-printed book spread with fine ink lines depicting a large crowd of figures in a bustling outdoor and interior scene; vertical column of Japanese text at upper right; artist's seal at lower right.
Woodblock-printed book illustration of a seated male figure in formal court robes and tall black cap, holding a flat scepter, with a circular halo behind the head; columns of Japanese calligraphy and a circular seal at upper and lower right.
Woodblock print from a bound Japanese book, depicting a bodhisattva figure seated in a flowing white robe with a circular halo, wearing an ornate crown; vertical columns of Japanese calligraphy at upper right and right margin.
Woodblock-printed book page with ink landscape of trees and rocky forms rendered in loose, expressive brushwork; vertical column of Chinese or Japanese characters at upper right margin; two seals at lower left.
Japanese woodblock-printed book opening showing two landscape scenes: left page depicts a swirling pool below rocky cliffs with a small pavilion and pine trees; right page shows tall waterfalls cascading down steep rocky gorges with a lone standing figure below. Vertical columns of Japanese text appear at upper corners of each page.
Woodblock print landscape of a tall central waterfall descending into a rocky gorge, surrounded by dense trees and cascading secondary falls; two small figures visible at lower right; vertical column of Chinese characters in upper right corner; fine ink linework with light blue wash.

Kawanabe Kyōsai, Kyōsai's Treatise on Painting, volume 4, 1887 (alternate view), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Herbert R. Cole Collection, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Kawanabe Kyōsai
Japan, 1831-1889
Title
Kyōsai's Treatise on Painting, volume 4
Place Made
Japan
Date Made
1887
Period
Meiji period (1868-1912)
Medium
Color woodblock printed book
Dimensions
Volumes: 10 1/4 x 5 1/2 x 3/8 in. (26.0 x 14.0 x .95 cm); each cover open: 10 1/2 x 24 in. (26.7 x 61.0 cm)
Credit Line
Herbert R. Cole Collection
Accession Number
M.84.31.517.4
Classification
Books
Collecting Area
Japanese Art