A RARE JAPANESE SET OF HAND-PAINTED PLAYING CARDS

A RARE JAPANESE SET OF HAND-PAINTED PLAYING CARDS, HYAKUNIN ISSHU UTA KARUTA

EDO PERIOD 1615-1868

Comprising 416 cards, 208 with inscriptions in free cursive sosho script, the other 208 with figures and still lives, all hand-painted in ink, colour and gilt on thick card with gold flakes, the reverse covered in gold leaf, in its original box with paper wrappings and silk covers, a paper label for 'C.Pratt & Sons, Bradford' on the box, each card 7.9cm x 5.5cm, the box 16.5cm x 16cm x 22.3cm. (a lot)

Provenance: from a private English playing cards collector. Together with a letter from Sir William Wilkinson (1858-1930), British Sinologist and card collector whose collection is now at the British Museum, addressed to the previous owner and identifying these as hyakunin isshu cards.

Cf. J Berry, Playing-cards of the World: Catalogue of the Collection of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Cards Owned by the Guildhall Library, City of London, p.VI 12 n.327, where the author discusses the rules of the Hyakunin Isshu game. Also, see J T Carpenter and M McCormick, The tale of Genji, A Japanese Classic Illuminated, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, pp.260-261 no.75, for a similar set of playing cards from the John C. Weber Collection, currently on display at the MET as part of the Tale of Genji exhibition.