<b>CHINESE LADY</b>Elizabeth Keith1934$12,000</em>

Details

Elizabeth Keith first traveled to Tokyo when she was 28 and remained there for eight years. While in Japan, she produced paintings and watercolors of her travels in Asia. Exhibiting her work to much acclaim, Keith quickly garnered the eye of Watanabe Shozaburo, the Shin Hanga publisher, who hired the artist to produce designs for his woodblock print studio.

Sitting with reserved sophistication, a young Chinese woman is captured at the height of 1930s fashion. The modern Chinese beauty has a moga (Modern Girl) hairstyle made famous by the jazz age flappers. Her well-coiffed hair and subtle makeup are paired well with her slim and tailored dress. Keith's design highlights the beauty of her gown by adding silver mica throughout the dress's intricate patterns. The young woman is seated before a traditional Chinese painting of female courtiers, emphasizing the sitter's pedigree. The traditional Chinese artwork and chair are a striking contrast to the woman's modern appearance. Yet, the composition harmonizes both elements into a stunning modern portrait.

Connoisseur's Note

 Miles, in his reference, Elizabeth Keith: The Printed Works, indicates this print to be among the artist's rarest designs, executed in fewer than 25 impressions. Miles speculates this design was most likely intended as a gift to the sitter's family. Further supporting his claims is that silver mica was used in the woman's dress—an element unique to the artist's work.

This impression comes from a private collection from the artist's family. While in the care of the original collector, the print was never framed nor exposed to light for prolonged periods. The print is in a pristine state of preservation and appears as fresh and vibrant as the day it was printed. Note the strength of the pink in the figures in the background or the sitter's legs—this color, along with the fugitive yellow pigment (also in the background), are often the first colors to fade.