Fritz Capelari (Austrian, 1884-1950), Umbrellas, 1915, woodblock print, 11-1/4 x 8-1/4 in. (28.6 x 21.0 cm) (sheet, chūban); With the artist’s red ink seal; and dated: FC / Tokyo 1915; Estimate: $5,000-$7,000; Modern Influences: Japanese Woodblock Prints From The Nelkin Collection Showcase Auction; Courtesy Heritage Auctions
Modern Influences: Japanese Woodblock Prints From The Nelkin Collection Showcase Auction #15250
Live Auction: Thursday, June 19, 2025, 10am (CT)
2801 W. Airport Freeway, Dallas, TX 75261
To honor and extend the legacy of Ms. Ruth Nelkin’s distinguished Japanese print collection, our Asian Art Department is proud to present a curated selection of 20th-century prints. This auction features works by renowned Japanese printmakers such as Saito Kiyoshi, Sekino Jun’ichirô, Kitaoka Fumio, and also those celebrated Western artists who focused on using Japanese woodblock techniques to portray Asian culture and scenes, such as Lilian Miller, Bertha Lum, and Elizabeth Keith, alongside highlights from the emerging sosaku-hanga (creative prints) movement, which blends modernist expression with traditional Japanese themes.
Reflecting Ms. Nelkin’s broad interest beyond classical ukiyo-e and shin-hanga, the collection in this sale spans a diverse range of printmaking techniques—including woodblock, lithograph, etching, and stencil. We invite you to explore this unique sale and discover the perfect addition to your collection!
RECENT PAST AUCTION
Japanese Prints Showcase Auction #12158
Auction: May 28, 2025 at 10am CT
2801 W. Airport Freeway Dallas, TX 75261
We are pleased to present our Japanese Print Showcase auction this month, a curated selection of Japanese woodblock prints featuring the celebrated Shin-Hanga movement.
Highlighting the refined beauty and mastery of early 20th-century printmakers, this sale includes renowned works by artists such as Kawase Hasui, Yoshida Hiroshi, Tsuchiya Koitsu, and features a special collection of prints by Paul Jacoulet from Lucille Arnold, who was on assignment in Japan with press credentials post war and became friends with Jacoulet and remained pen pals for life.
Capturing serene landscapes, elegant figures and evocative moods, each print exemplifies the timeless allure and technical brilliance that define the Shin-Hanga genre. Discover the perfect addition to your woodblock print collection!
Asia Week New York Auction Results
Our Asia Week sales reached a strong total of $2,890,355, led by a rare early impression of Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) (Kanagawa oki nami ura), which achieved $425,000 in our Japanese Woodblock Prints from The Nelkin Collection Part III Signature® Auction #8191. The sale also marked a milestone for the market, setting new artist records for Choensai Eishin (active 1795–1817) and Katsukawa Shunsen (active 1780–1800), and establishing more than 40 world auction records for individual prints—many of them by Kawase Hasui.
RECENT ASIA WEEK NEW YORK AUCTIONS
We are excited to celebrate New York Asia Week with two unmissable auctions featuring masterpieces of Japanese and Asian Art this month! The March 20-21 events are led by Hokusai’s The Great Wave from the Nelkin Collection, rare Japanese woodblock prints and exceptional Chinese, Korean and Himalayan treasures. Be sure to view highlights of these sales at our New York City showroom from March 13-20!
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) (Kanagawa oki nami ura), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), c. 1831, woodblock print embellished with light mica powder, 9-7/8 x 14-5/8 in (25.1 x 37.1 cm) (sheet, ōban), signed: Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu, published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō), Lot #78015, Estimate: US$100,000-150,000, Japanese Woodblock Prints from The Nelkin Collection Part III Signature® Auction #8191
Japanese Woodblock Prints from The Nelkin Collection Part III Signature® Auction #8191
Auction: Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 10am and 2pm CT at 2801 W. Airport Freeway Dallas
NYC Highlights Viewing: March 13–15 & 17–20, 10am-5pm at 445 Park Avenue, NYC (By Appointment Only)
1 – Signature® Floor Session – Floor (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 78001-78181) – 10am Central Time, Thursday, March 20, 2025
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.)
2 – Signature® Internet Session – Non-Floor – No Floor or Phone Bidding (Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 78182-78279) – 2pm Central Time, Thursday, March 20, 2025
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.)
Few images in art history have captivated the world like Under the Wave Off Kanagawa, more commonly known as The Great Wave. Created by Katsushika Hokusai in the early 1830s, this masterpiece of Japanese woodblock printing has become a global icon, influencing artists and collectors for nearly two centuries. We are honored to offer a rare, early impression of The Great Wave as a centerpiece of our March 20 auction.
This auction marks the final installment of the highly successful Nelkin Collection series, following two record-setting Asian Art sales in June and September 2024, which together set more than 60 world-record prices. This concluding sale presents an expertly curated selection of works by Japan’s most renowned printmakers, including Suzuki Harunobu, Utagawa Hiroshige I, Utagawa Hiroshige II, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Totoya Hokkei, Keisai Eisen, Kawase Hasui and Yoshida Hiroshi.
A Chinese Iron-Red-Ground Gilt-Decorated Double Beast Handled Vase, Daoguang period, marks: Shendetang Mark, 8-1/4 x 5-1/4 x 5-1/4 in (21.0 x 13.3 x 13.3 cm), Lot #78065, Estimate: US$1,000-1,500, Fine & Decorative Asian Art Signature® Auction #8192
Fine & Decorative Asian Art Signature® Auction #8192
Auction: Friday, March 21, 2025, 10am and 2pm CT at 2801 W. Airport Freeway Dallas
NYC Highlights Viewing: March 13–15 & 17–20, 10am-5pm at 445 Park Avenue, NYC (By Appointment Only)
1 – Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 78001-78144) – 10am Central Time, Friday, March 21, 2025
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.)
2 – Signature® Internet Session – No Floor or Phone Bidding (Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 78145-78253) – 2pm Central Time, Friday, March 21, 2025
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.)
The celebration of Asia Week continues on March 21 with our Asian Art Signature® Auction featuring an exquisite array of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian treasures. From Song dynasty ceramics to Ming dynasty jades and Qing dynasty porcelains, paintings and textiles, this auction brings together significant works from prestigious private collections, including that of the family of Yen Sheng-Po, a founding member of Hong Kong’s Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art and a close associate of Zhang Daqian. The auction offers porcelains, paintings, jades, and other scholar’s objects from the collection, including this dramatic dragon-starring, beast-handled vase and a Ming dynasty jade duck enriched with skillfully carved and incised featherwork.
