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Picture of the Wedding Ceremony of Dignitaries (Kiken konreishiki no zu) [Crown Prince Yoshihito and Sadako]


「貴顕婚礼式之図」
Yôsai Nobukazu (Japanese, 1872–1944)
Japanese
Meiji era
1900 (Meiji 33), April

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions Vertical ôban triptych; 35.5 x 72.9 cm (14 x 28 11/16 in.)
Credit Line Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection
Accession Number2000.142a-c
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsPrints
In this view of the Crown Prince’s wedding, the bride (carefully selected for the Prince from a small pool of eligible princesses and noble daughters) is dressed in Japanese court costume, but some of the ladies-in-waiting wear Western styles. At the time of the wedding, the groom was 20 and the bride not quite 16; because his health had never been good, the family was anxious to have him marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. Happily, the arranged marriage was a success, and the couple seem to have been genuinely devoted to each other. Their four children were all healthy and all boys.

Catalogue Raisonné Asai, Kinsei nishiki-e sesôshi 8 (1936), pp. 86-7
Signed Ôju Yôsai
應需楊斎
ProvenanceVarious dealers: primarily in London and Tokyo. Purchased between 1985-1999.