Vintage The Japanese Dolls Gosho-Ningyo by Kawase-Hasui 12 Original Plates For Sale

This is a set of 12 stunning Gosho Doll ink and color-on-paper prints (numbers 2, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 23) in the original presentation case with ribbon tie. (The original collection featured 24 prints.) These prints are signed by Japanese woodblock artist Kawase Hasui (1883–1957). Hasui was known mainly for his landscape works, but in 1935 he designed a series of woodblock prints that focused on Imperial Palace dolls. The dolls (characterized by their round bodies, large heads and descriptive facial expressions) were popular in Japan during the Meiji period (1868–1912) and assumed to be possessed of spirits that would give blessings to the receiver. Published by Meiji-Shobo of Surugadai, Kanda, Tokyo. The full set of these prints were exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2014. The prints are approximately 9 ¼” x 8 ¼” each.Local pick-ups okay.