Preparatory sketch

In October 1887, the publishing house Hakubunsha issued a book of colour woodblock prints reproducing an album of 12 paintings by Katei. This was an affordable way for people to own attractive images by a renowned contemporary painter. The publication was of the highest quality, and in the preface the head of the publishing house mentioned that some people could not believe the images were produced by the traditional method of woodblock printing and assumed they must have been finished by hand. This preparatory drawing of a peony and a butterfly is for the original painting album (see also 56.50.155).