Sotheby & Co. Catalogue of the Henri Vever Collection, Part II
This is the printed catalogue for the sale of Highly Important Japanese Prints, Illustrated Books, Drawings and Fan Paintings from the Henri Vever Collection: Part II, issued by Sotheby & Co. for the sale held on Wednesday, 26th March 1975. The front cover carries a print of a standing figure holding a fan and a long staff, set against blossoming branches. The interior includes a horizontal panoramic plate of figures in boats on water, and an entry for lot 300. That entry describes a chuban print, measuring 25.3 x 18.3 cms, with the subtitle ‘Warai Hannya’ (‘Grinning Hannya’). It depicts a horned demon with a ghastly grimace, holding the severed head of a baby in one taloned hand and pointing to it with the forefinger of the other. The catalogue records a fine impression and state, a collector’s seal reading Vever (3), and a reference to V. & I. No. 312, Pl. XCIV.
Condition, Originality and Collector Interest
The dust jacket shows general wear, with creasing and marks along the edges and corners, and the spine area appears worn. The interior pages visible in the photographs are clean, and the plates are printed in black and white. Lot 300 is recorded in the catalogue as a fine impression and state, with its Vever collector’s seal. The catalogue is therefore of interest to collectors of Japanese woodblock prints and ukiyo-e, as well as to researchers who wish to trace provenance through the Henri Vever collection, with its named seals and published references.