Bijzonderheden over Japan

behelzende een verslag van de huwelijkse plegtigheden, begrafenissen en feesten der Japanezen. De Gedenkschriften der laatste Japansche keizers en andere merkwaardigheden nopens dat Rijk. ‘s Gravenhage (The Hague) : the widow of J. Allart, 1824. Two volumes, octavo, finely bound in modern half calf over marbled papered boards, spine with ornamental gilt tooling and contrasting morocco title labels lettered in gilt, pp. xvi; 250; 264; previous owner’s name stamp to half-title, hand coloured engraved title pages, four spectacular hand coloured plates, housed in a matching marbled paper box with calf trimming. A fine set.

The first Dutch edition of a magnificently illustrated work on Japanese festive ceremonies and customs, written by Isaac Titsingh, Head of the Dutch Factory at Dejima, the base of the Dutch East Indian Company. The Dutch edition was translated from the English edition of 1822 Illustrations of Japan, which itself was based on the French edition of 1819- 20 Cérémonies usitées en Japon pour les mariages et les funérailles (1819), and Mémoires et anecdotes de la dynastie regnante des Djogouns (1820). This rare work on Japanese customs was written by a merchant with first hand knowledge of Japanese life, the Dutch port of Dejima in Nagasaki being the only point of contact between Japan and the western nations.

Landwehr, VOC, 538; Cordier Japonica 451.