Georges Ferdinand Bigot (1860–1927) - Japanese Houses – probably Nikkō, 14 September

Georges Ferdinand Bigot (1860–1927)

Original work on paper with an atmospheric depiction of traditional Japanese wooden architecture from the Meiji era.

Of particular interest is the inscription at the bottom right. It reads:

九月 十四日 ビゴー

and means “14. September – Bigot.” “ビゴー” is the Japanese katakana rendering of the name Bigot. Below the Japanese inscription, there is also a very faint signature in Latin letters.

The dating is historically especially interesting:

According to the documented holdings of the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Georges Bigot traveled through the Nikko region in August and September 1886. From exactly this journey, several consecutive, dated works are known:

30 August 1886 – Umagaeshi, Nikko
8 September 1886 – Kami-Tokujira, Nikko Kaidō
9 September 1886 – Ōsawa, Nikko Road
10 September 1886 – Matsuya Inn, Ōsawa, Nikko Kaidō

The dating on the present work, “14. September,” thus lies only four days after the documented work of 10 September 1886.

The depicted traditional wooden architecture is also consistent with the historical appearance of the Nikko region. Historical photographs of the 19th century from Hachiishi – the last post station of the Nikko Kaidō before Nikko – show a dense settlement of wooden houses, inns, and outbuildings with a similar architectural character.

On the basis of these temporal and topographical connections, it is therefore an interesting research hypothesis that the present work could have been created during Bigot’s documented Nikko trip in September 1886, possibly in the area of Hachiishi.

A precise identification of the depicted place has not yet been conclusively established; Nikko/Hachiishi is therefore explicitly given as a research hypothesis and not as a confirmed place determination.

Technique: Watercolor/ink and drawing on paper.
Visible image area: approx. 24 × 17 cm.
Dimensions with frame: approx. 35 × 28 cm.
The full sheet size is not known, as the work has not been removed from the frame.

The work is, in view of its age, in good condition and is offered in the framed presentation shown.

The connection of the Japanese inscription “14. September – Bigot” with the documented Nikko trip of 1886 makes this small work a particularly interesting testament to Georges Bigot’s artistic documentation of Meiji Japan.

For comparison and research purposes, the holdings of the Utsunomiya Museum of Art and documented works from Bigot’s Nikko trip of 1886 were especially consulted.