Description
This is a wonderful Japanese-produced album of the type greatly prized by German sailors, soldiers, etc., who passed through Japan while serving in China. Albums such as these also might have been purchased by German sailors in the merchant marine. These albums were beautifully hand produced, using rich, lacquered wood and the best of other materials to complete them. This example has black-lacquered covers. The front cover features a simply magnificent reproduction of birds and flowers. It is rendered in mother-of-pearl and iridescent, multicolored abalone. These designs are framed in a silver border. The back cover is unadorned black lacquer.
Inside the album, the front and back covers are richly hand painted on silk. The front cover features a single, large bird in flight through the branches of a brightly colored tree. The back cover features a Japanese house on a stream, with several tall pine trees rising above it. It sports nine double-sided pages. Each page has a silk surface that displays colorfully painted scenes of Japan. Each side of the page has two cutout areas where photos or even postcards can be inserted. Directly below each of these cutouts, we see a smaller box where the subject can be described, if so desired. With the double-sided pages, a total of thirty-six open spaces is available for photographs or postcards. The two wooden covers and the nine double-sided pages are attached to a leatherette spine. The album shows great potential for you to insert and display your prized photographs, Cabinet Photographs, CdV’s or postcards. Whether you are going to use it for colonial material or other Imperial German images, it will result in an attractive display. For that matter, the album would be superb for a scrap booker!
It is in very fine condition.
