New Edition: Famous Chiyogami Patterns 新版千代紙名物柄 - Unknown - Japan - Meiji Periode (1868-1912)

Title/Series:
Shinpan Chiyogami Meibutsu Gara (New Edition: Famous Chiyogami Patterns).

Publisher:
Niwa-do (Niwa-do han), a specialist studio in traditional decorative woodblock printing.
Era: Late Meiji Period (ca. 1880s–1890s).

Subject Matter:
A catalog of stylized butterfly (cho) and moth motifs, traditionally symbolizing longevity, marital bliss, and spiritual transformation.

Design & Technique:
Features a range of geometric and organic butterfly patterns set against a light blue background with a subtle "cracked ice" or spiderweb motif.
Utilizes the bold, saturated aniline dyes (pinks, purples, and deep reds) that became a hallmark of Meiji-era graphics following the opening of trade with the West.

Very rare.

Very slightly creased at the edges

Niwa-do (Teika-do) was a leading Meiji-era studio specializing in Chiyogami design. This sheet represents a rare survival of a commercial pattern catalog, highlighting the studio's collaboration with artists of the Utagawa school to modernize Edo-period motifs for the globalizing Meiji market. Niwa-do carved out a niche as a premier producer of Chiyogami (ornamental woodblock-printed papers) and Otoyogami (toy prints).