Prosper-Alphonse Isaac (1858-1924) - Lot 143

Prosper-Alphonse Isaac (1858-1924) Mouse and pea pod. Before 1912. Woodcut (in collaboration with Noguchi). [188 x 85]. Vabre 123. Japanese-style watercolor print. A very fine proof on japon vergé, bearing the swastika in black at lower left. Small margins. A native of Calais, Isaac was one of the leading proponents of Japanese-style woodcutting in Parisian circles from 1900-1920. He learned the art himself from Japanese engravers who had come to Europe, such as Urushibara, and in turn taught these techniques to other artists such as Chadel and Géo-Fourrier. In 1913, he wrote an article on the subject for the magazine Art et décoration. He was a collector of Asian objets d'art and a lifelong member of the Société Franco-Japonaise since its creation in 1900. He also worked extensively as a decorator, designing Japanese fabrics for Bing. His engraved work includes just under two hundred prints. They generally bear his red stamp and the swastika - an age-old Indo-European symbol with spiritual connotations, evoking both the ephemeral and the eternal, the foundations of ukiyo-e. Reference is made to the catalog drawn up by Émilie Vabre, Prosper-Alphonse Isaac (1858-1924) - Entre régionalisme et japonisme. Master 2 thesis, Université Paris I, 2009-2010.