John M. Rosenfield in collaboration with Fumiko E. Cranston, edited by Naomi Noble Richard

936 pages total, 3-volume boxed set, 8 5/8 x 11"; 235 works illustrated, 24 in color. 1999

ISBN 1-891771-00-0 (cloth) $175, retail only. Wholesale distribution by Art Media Resources

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

The Powers Collection, formed with the assistance of leading Japanese scholars, is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the West and includes works by such outstanding painters as Yosa Buson, Ike no Taiga, and Uragami Gyokudo, and literary figures such as novelist Ihara Saikaku and poet Matsuo Basho.This catalogue is the result of studies of the collection conducted over nearly 30 years by Harvard faculty and students under the direction of John Rosenfield, an outstanding authority in the field. Essays consider the concept of eccentricity in Japan (a concept akin to that of Romantic Genius in Europe) and explore social and ideological constituencies for the visual arts of that era. Each of the 235 artworks is illustrated with details of seals and signature; catalogue entries explore the style, subject matter, and authenticity of each work. No other work in a Western language has the same detail or range of subjects.

The book provides an extensive array of scholarly references, and includes a detailed index and an appendix of biographies for each artist and major patron represented, exploring their intellectual and artistic backgrounds.