Paul Jacoulet, A Parisian Lady (Limited Edition)

Notes: One of the best extant examples; never framed or displayed. An early impression with the Yamagishi stamp; lower left margin. Reverse red limitation seal: #98/150. Carver: Yamagishi. Printer: Urushibara. "Une Parisienne" (A Parisian Lady) displays a striking portrait of a self-assured, sophisticated, one might say slightly coquettish, lady is arguably the most sought-after print in the entire shin-hanga genre. A diaphanous veil serves only to highlight her fashionable, thin, arched eyebrows and captivating eyes. She casts an inquisitive glance at the viewer, as a mysterious smile plays across her bowed, red lips. An opulent fox fur collar frames her face and echoes the color of her elaborately curled hair. The carver, Yamagishi concluded that Jacoulet's original paintings, when published as color-prints, would initiate a new advance in the world of ukiyo-e art, has been proven true; for the artist is not only an Occidental who has mastered the Japanese technique, but is an artist expressing a new spirit through the old medium. The artist called Yamagishi a genius for the ability to balance delicacy and boldness in a single image. Jacoulet regarded the gaufrage of the veil as the most extraordinary tour de force of carving he had ever seen. The craftmanship make it not only the greatest of the Jacoulet-Yamagishi collaborations, but one of the finest prints of its time. Provenance: Captain Centner was an American Navy pilot who befriended Paul Jacoulet while stationed in Japan after World War II. He was fascinated by the exquisite, high artistic standard of Jacoulet's prints, and he purchased almost all of Jacoulet's artworks directly from the artist. The artist and the collector corresponded with each other until Jacoulet's death in 1960, and their letters now reside in the collection of the Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, in France. After the war, Captain Centner (then CDR) was assigned to the Pacific Island of Guam and traveled frequently to Japan.