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Encyclopedia of Western Art (Kōmō zatsuwa 紅毛雑話) : [volume 1]

Morishima, Chūryō,‏ ‎1754-1810?‏ · 1787 · Edo : Suharaya Ichibei · 2 pictures

Kōmō zatsuwa is a woodblock-printed Japanese encyclopedic volume by Morishima Chūryō, published in Edo in 1787 by Suharaya Ichibei, describing Western objects and customs for Japanese readers. The two pictures are plain black-line woodcuts with Japanese captions beside them: a shuttlecock with a feathered head and cork base beside a racket, and a balloon-shaped airship with a sail and rigging over a small boat. A designer might take from them the economy of simple outline drawing and the way explanatory text is set in tight columns beside the image.

Lizards · Badminton (Game)

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library