Below are nine (9) of Jacoulet's woodblock prints my father purchased directly from Paul Jacoulet himself in his Karuizawa, Japan studio in late 1948 or early 1949. which I wish to sell to collectors who revere this ingenius artist as much as Dad did.

This beautiful collection includes Jacoulet's personal favorite of all his woodblock prints: (Miles' Catalog #26), FEMME TATOUÉE DE FALALAP. OUEST CAROLINES (Tattooed Woman of Falalap. West Carolines).

However, before perusing the gallery of images and information about the Jacoulet prints I am selling, may I prevail upon you to first read about the artist himself and, if I may indulge you, learn how these magnificent works of art came into my father's hands?

Paul Jacoulet, originally from France, became renowned as a woodblock print artist while residing in Japan. Blending elements of traditional ukiyo-e with his own innovative techniques, Jacoulet forged a unique artistic path.

Born in Paris in either 1902 or 1896 (as his actual birth date is disputed), he spent the majority of his years in Japan, relocating to Karuizawa during World War II, where he established his studio and worked and until his death in 1960. (For an informative presentation of the entire process of how woodblock prints are made, click here.)

A Frenchman who adopted Japan as his home, Jacoulet was renowned globally both during and after his life as the “Frenchman of the Woodblock Print". His warm personality and unwavering passion for art earned him admiration and respect. Jacoulet stands out as one of the rare Westerners to master 20th-century ukiyo-e, achieving a level of artistic integration seldom seen.

His most active period spanned from 1939 to 1960, during which he created prints primarily depicting people from Japan and the Asia Pacific, focusing on portraits and full-body images with detailed backgrounds. Being a perfectionist who often self-published his limited-edition works, Jacoulet woodblock prints were prized by art lovers even in his own lifetime and because they are rare, they consequently are highly collectable and sought after, often selling in the $5,000 to $20,000 range.

Over the course of his career, Jacoulet created at least 166 wood print designs in addition to more than 3,000 watercolors and drawings. The enduring appeal of Jacoulet’s work lies in its vibrant fusion of modern visual sensibilities and time-honored craftsmanship. His exceptional talent for color, form, and especially line, shines through in every piece.

His prints also reveal a genuine fondness for the people, styles, and environment of his world, and a zest for life that resonates with viewers. Each creation is infused with beauty, warmth, and a playful sensuality, ensuring Jacoulet’s charm remains undiminished by time.

During the post-surrender occupation of Japan (1945-1951), at the request of General Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) — interim leader of Japan from 1945–1948 — Jacoulet was recruited to work at the Tokyo Army College.

In time, General MacArthur learned about the artist and subsequently became a prominent collector of his work.

My father, Col. F. G. de Rox (1920–2010), a World War 2 US Army veteran, was stationed in Japan during much of the occupation and reconstruction of Japan overseen by General MacArthur, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant during his tour of duty there. My father told me when he was stationed in Japan during the occupation, he worked in the same building as the general, and would sometimes see the war hero in the elevator.

When I was a boy, my father had a practice of taking my sisters and me to the local library every two weeks and would choose a biography for me to read. The MacArthur biography he handed to me to read hooked me such that I read more, even tackling as a youngster his daunting autobiography, Reminiscences. Aware I was a fan of former boss, Dad gave me at that time an autographed black and white photograph of the General MacArther and a poster transcription of his famous "Duty, Honor, Country" West Point farewell speech which the military legend gave two years before his death.

While stationed in Japan and only months before meeting Jacoulet personally, my father clipped a feature article about the famous artist from the Far East Stars and Stripes Weekly Review[*]. (Click here to read this fascinating article in its entirety.)

It would not be long after this article's publication when my father himself searched out, met and befriended Jacoulet. Although many of Jacoulet's prints were sold by subscription, he also sold a number of prints to American soldiers stationed in Japan. My father was one of those soldiers.

[*] The Far East Stars and Stripes Weekly Review was a weekly newspaper specifically published for personnel in the United States Far East Command (FECOM). It included news, both local and international, as well as pictorial essays about current events and entertainment. The newspaper was sixteen pages long and measured 11 x 16 inches. The first issue of this periodical was published on Sunday, November 16, 1947, and ceased publication with its last issue, Wednesday, June 11, 1952.

My father (around 20 in this photo), the son of Polish immigrants, grew up in the Beverly Hills area where his father and uncle (who both left Poland and came to America together, marrying sisters in NYC, then traveled across the country, settling in Beverly Hills) built apartment buildings. He attended and graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1938.

Despite graduating with a full-tuition scholarship to Standford University, he elected instead to work for the high school managing the print shop operations and publishing the school newspaper, Beverly Hills High Lights.

The other was he dated child-star Shirley Temple three times during 1943 when she was 15 and he 22 to 23.

(This is Shirley Temple at 15 when they dated.)

After their third date or so, as Dad shared with me when he was in his early 80's, Shirley Temple seemed to want to get more serious with their relationship as she dropped in unexpectedly in the high school printing shop while he was absorbed working and had an urgency about her manner. But in that moment Dad was too busy to make time for her, so she turned around and left the print room. It was the last time he ever saw her. 

Not long after her departure, Shirley Temple began dating her future first husband, John Agar, whom she married two years later when she was 17. A twist of fate as it turned out, thanks to my Dad's characteristic intense focus on the task at hand (which I inherited) — had she not walked out that day, I would not be here to share this story with you!

Conclusion

		Dad, like Jacoulet himeself, loved Asian cultures and peoples, and he saw in this gifted artist's magnificent works so much of what he treasured about that part of the world and its citizens. In fact, so enamored with "the Orient" was my father, he requested and received for his final tours of duty before his retirement in 1970, assignments in Vietnam (as an advisor, 1962–1963) and Seoul, Korea (as Adjudant General, 1967–1968), and brought home many treasures from these and other Far East nations he visited, handcrafted by the artisans there whose works he so admired.
		It is my hope that with this account of my father's acquisition of Jacoulet's artwork and a bit about the collector himself, you can all the more appreciate the exquisite and timeless beauty of the Jacoulet prints for sale below of which Dad was so proud to own and enjoy. — F. David de Rox LinkedIn EMAIL: david @ fervent ascent .com PHONES: • (USA) +1 317-954-6729 • (CAN) +1 780-246-1193 WHATSAPP: +1 317-954-6729

NOTES:
• Click the thumbnail image to view the original LARGE-SIZE PHOTO.
• "Miles Catalog #" refers to The print number according to The Prints of Paul Jacoulet: A complete illustrated catalog by Richard Miles.
* Oban is the most common and standard size for ukiyo-e woodblock prints, derived from cutting the large standard sheet known as o-bosho (approximately 53 cm x 39 cm) in half. This results in a sheet size of roughly 26.5 cm x 39 cm (or 10.5 inches x 15.5 inches), which is often trimmed to approximately 36 cm x 25 cm. The oban format was widely used from the Edo period through the Meiji period and is considered the prevalent print format for ukiyo-e artists.

TITLE: BELLE DE YAP ET ORCHIDÉES. OUEST CAROLINES
(Yap Beauty and Orchids. West Carolines)
MILES CATALOG #: 14
DATE: 10 December 1934
STAMP: Fan
EDITION: (no # on back)
MARKINGS:
• Proof signed in pencil on lower left.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18 x 14½ in. | 46.5 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES:
• The Caroline Islands are an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. Its more than 50 islands comprise the republics of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. "Falalap" is one of the islands in the Carolines group. 
• "Yap" refers to Yap Island, often referred to as “Wa’ab” by locals and a remote island group in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, part of the Caroline Islands and situated just nine degrees north of the equator, approximately 300 miles northeast of Palau and 500 miles southwest of Guam. Known as a unique and culturally rich destination and largely unaffected by modern development, Yap is considered one of the least visited countries in the world. 

TITLE: HOMME DE MANADO ET MANGOUSTANS, CÉLÉBES
(Menado Man and Mangosteen. Celebes)
MILES CAT.#: 15
DATE: 25 January 1935
STAMP: Fan
EDITION: 203 of 350
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Number on the verso (back, lower left corner).
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18 x 14 in. | 46.5 x 35.5 cm.
NOTES: 
• "Menado" is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• "Célébs" is Sulawesi, Indonesia. 

TITLE: FEMME TATOUÉE DE FALALAP. OUEST CAROLINES
(Tattooed Woman of Falalap. West Carolines)
MILES CAT.#: 26
DATE: 5 July 1935
STAMP: Mandarin Duck
EDITION: (no # on back)
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 16⅞ x 14½ in. | 46.8 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES: 
• Created by Paul Jacoulet during his second year as a printmaker, this work hung over the artist’s bed for many years and is believed to have been his favorite. Produced from a pencil sketch and a watercolour painting developed in 1933 in the West Carolines, a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands to the north of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
• “In certain rare first impressions, the black bracelet is printed in a glossy black lacquer that seems nearly three dimensional against the tattooed skin.” — The Prints of Jacoulet (Miles), pg. 94
• The Caroline Islands are an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. Its more than 50 islands comprise the republics of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.
• "Falalap" is one of the islands in the Carolines group.

TITLE: UN HOMME DE YAP. OUEST CAROLINES
(A Yap Man. West Carolines)
MILES CAT.#: 31
DATE: 26 November 1936
STAMP: Mandarin Duck
EDITION: (no # on back)
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18 x 14½ in. | 46.7 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES: 
• "Yap" refers to Yap Island, often referred to as “Wa’ab” by locals and a remote island group in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, part of the Caroline Islands and situated just nine degrees north of the equator, approximately 300 miles northeast of Palau and 500 miles southwest of Guam. Known as a unique and culturally rich destination and largely unaffected by modern development, Yap is considered one of the least visited countries in the world. 
• The "Caroline Islands" are an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. Its islands comprise the republics of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. 

TITLE: MARCHAND DE SEL. COREE
(Salt Merchant. Korea)
MILES CAT.#: 35
DATE: 24 February 1936
STAMP: Good Luck Hammer
EDITION: 243 of 350
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Number on the verso (back, lower left corner).
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18½ x 14 in. | 46.8 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES: Jacoulet made numerous trips to Korea, particularly after his mother and her new husband, a Japanese doctor, relocated there in 1929. Jacoulet painted a wide range of Korean themes, including farmers, potters, beggars, mothers with their children, monks, intellectuals, and portraits of affluent young Koreans. He left about 35 prints featuring Korean people. The beauty, daily routines, and traditional and modern attire of actual Asians were all recorded by Jacoulet.

TITLE: LE REVEIL. SAIPAN, MARIANES
(The Awakening. Saipan, Marianas)
MILES CAT.#: 42
DATE: 12 March 1937
STAMP: Good Luck Hammer
EDITION: (no # on back)
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18⅛ x 14½ in. | 47.5 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES: 
• “First state, first printing has keyblock lines that add stomach, hand, chest wrinkles that were removed for the edition of 350. Very scarce in first state.” — The Prints of Jacoulet (Miles), pg. 94
• “The silver and gold on the first state is replaced with silver and bronze metallics in the second state.”
— The Prints of Jacoulet (Miles), pg. 94
• "Mariana Islands" are an unincorporated territory of the United States, located about 1,300 miles east of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean. The tops of fifteen longitudinally aligned, primarily dormant volcanic mountains make up the crescent-shaped Mariana Islands, commonly known as the Marianas, an archipelago in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
• "Saipan" is the capital and largest island in this territory. Approximately 90% of the Northern Mariana Islands' population now resides on Saipan. 

TITLE: L'ATTENTE. CELEBES MANADO
(Waiting. Celebes Menado)
MILES CAT.#: 86
DATE: 15 September 1947
STAMP: Sparrow
EDITION: 172 of 350
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Number on the verso (back, lower left corner).
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18½ x 14⅛ in. | 46.7 x 36.0 cm.
NOTES: 
• "Menado" is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• "Célébs" is Sulawesi, Indonesia.

TITLE: LES VIEUX MANUSCRITS. CORÉE, SÉOUL
(The Old Writings. Seoul, Korea)
MILES CAT.#: 99
DATE: 3 November 1948
STAMP: Ivy
EDITION: 126 of 350
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Number on the verso (back, lower left corner).
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18½ x 14⅛ in. | 47.8 x 36 cm.
NOTES: 
• Jacoulet made numerous trips to Korea, particularly after his mother and her new husband, a Japanese doctor, relocated there in 1929.
• Jacoulet painted a wide range of Korean themes, including farmers, potters, beggars, mothers with their children, monks, intellectuals, and portraits of affluent young Koreans. He left about 35 prints featuring Korean people.
• The beauty, daily routines, and traditional and modern attire of actual Asians were all recorded by Jacoulet.

TITLE: LA TRESSEUSE DE PANIERS. REMOUE, YAP
(The Basket Weaver. Remoue, Yap)
MILES CAT.#: 101
DATE: 13 December 1948
STAMP: Peach
EDITION: 85 of 350
MARKINGS: 
• Proof signed in pencil on lower right.
• Titled lower right corner on front.
• Number on the verso (back, lower left corner).
• Notched lower right corner.
SIZE: 18½ x 14⅛ in. | 46.0 x 35.5 cm.
NOTES:
• "Yap" Island, often referred to as “Wa’ab” by locals, is a remote island group in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, part of the Caroline Islands and situated just nine degrees north of the equator, approximately 300 miles northeast of Palau and 500 miles southwest of Guam. Known as a unique and culturally rich destination and largely unaffected by modern development, Yap is considered one of the least visited countries in the world.
• "Remoue" is likely what is known today as "Rumung", one of the four main islands.