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Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese and Chinese Illustrated Books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago
Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese and Chinese Illustrated Books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago Author:Kenji Toda Reprint of the 1931. Oversized Octavo. xxxii, 466 p., 1 l. illus., plates, . Martin A. Ryerson, one of the Art Institute's founding trustees, was perhaps the single most important donor to the museum's collections as well as the donor of its library. Applying the museum's mission to represent art from all periods and styles to his own collecting... more » practices, he acquired an extraordinary group of works including paintings, sculptures, textiles, prints and drawings, Asian art, and European decorative arts. Ryerson' Library of Japanese and Chinese Illustrated Books also went to the Art Institute of Chicago. Today the Institute estimates the number of Edo period illustrated books approximately 1,800 volumes. These collections comprise primarily books given by Martin Ryerson (1856-1932) and by Frederick William Gookin (1853-1936). Toda's Descriptive catalogue of Japanese and Chinese illustrated books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago is a major reference for the Ryerson Collection. Though additions have been made to the library, the TodaCatalogue is still the main reference for its holdings. Ryerson and Burnham library has many Meiji period books as well. Toda's work is more than a bibliography. The author also provides useful annotations about the books and artists, as well as a general history of Japanese painting in the Tokugawa period.« less