Ma-Ta : dessins de G Bigot.

[Yokohama, 1884]. Quarto (292 x 213 mm), original plain limp covers with Japanese hand-stitched binding, 21 etched plates (including the main title) on papier japon, depicting Japanese people, aspects of traditional Japanese culture, and scenes from everyday life in Japan; an exceptional example, housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box, spine lettered in gilt.

French artist Georges Bigot (1860-1927) lived in Japan from 1882-1899, where he initially earned a living as a drawing instructor at the National Military Academy. As a sketch artist he became a prolific contributor to Japanese periodicals, establishing a reputation as a satirical cartoonist. He was eventually to publish more than 30 books that featured his exquisite illustrations, done in a variety of mediums.

The sublime Ma-Ta, a sympathetic snapshot of Meiji era Japan, was the first of several very limited editions of Bigot’s etchings.