— [Zuan Stencil Design Book]

[Zuan - Stencil Design Book]. Kyoto? Sh?toku ?? [1711 - 1716] to Meiji Gannen ???? [1868]. 24.7 x 17.7cm volume of design patterns string bound fukuro toji. Hand printed sample stencil sample book assembled by a dyeing house in Kyoto. A total of 507 monochrome designs, from single to multiple designs per page, each with a stamped number, many labeled with Japanese handwritten text. A few designs have blue accents and a few have brown, otherwise monochrome. Design changes are done with a stamped design on translucent paper laid down over the original design. Many remarkable designs, including #196, of sparrows in flight, and #215, a repeating design of small umbrellas that incorporates Japanese kana into the design. The Shijo-influenced, double page designs, (such as #192 and #193) suggest the dyeing house was based in Kyoto. The first page notes that the volume covers the period from about the Sh?toku Era [1711-1716] to the beginning of the Meiji era [late 1860s]. Dates next to the designs indicate stencils used from multiple periods include; Genbun [1730s], H?reki 8 [1759], Kansei [1790s], Bunka 9 [1812?], Bunsei 5 [1822] and Tenpo 6 [1836], showing the range compiled. Remarkably useful primary source for the development of stencil designs. Fine condition. .