Japanese Art Nouveau Design Illustration Book

Scrolling vines, winged creatures and a central cartouche, pressed deep into a red cover.

This Japanese Art Nouveau design illustration book comes from Japan, is dated 1933 and is made of paper. Art Nouveau reached Japan around the turn of the 20th century and generally found a ready audience among designers already fluent in stylized natural forms. The front cover is a rich red, embossed with interlacing strapwork, winged beasts and curling foliage around a central shield. Black outlines and a triple frame set off the design. The spine is worn and partly lifted along its edge. It is 10.5 inches high and 7.75 wide.

The cover alone makes a convincing argument for the inside.