Kunii Oyo ‘Carp under Netting’ 1894, Framed Japanese Panel

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Kunii Oyo ‘Carp under Netting’ 1894, Framed Japanese Panel

About the Item

Kunii Oyo (1868-1923) ‘Carp under netting’ 1894 Framed panel, ink and gold on silk. Inscription reads: “Meiji 27 Summer, painted by Oyo” Upper seal: Oyo no in Lower seal: Shisei Dimensions: H 33” x W 33” (83 cm x 83 cm) A languid summer scene of a carp or koi swimming in a pond, viewed through a protective net. It is painted in the tradition of the Maruyama school and captures the essence of its shasei (life drawing) method. Soft ink brushwork detailed with gold shows a solitary carp turning toward the viewer with its gaze averted upwards. Light ripples appear on the surface of the pond, echoing the movement of the carp. The net has been rendered in raised moriage design and finished with gold. The nature of the gold highlights on the silk ground lead to the piece changing its nature considerably according to fluctuations in light. The subject matter is extremely rare. The only other official reference to the theme is painted on a wooden sliding door at Kyoto’s Shugakuin Imperial Villa. There it is said that the paintings of the carp were so realistic that they had to be restrained by nets to prevent them jumping off the doors at night to splash in the pond. The painting is framed with the original silk brocade of the standing screen. This high quality fabric is elaborately woven with gold leaf, kinran. It depicts various kamon, which indicate ancestry or status, surrounded by Buddhist Manji symbols. There are two types of Manji - one a mirror image of the other. The counterclockwise Manji represents infinite mercy. This is the prevalent symbol in Japan. The clockwise Manji represents intellect and strength - this is the one used here. Of the kamon present, the dominant two are the Toyotomi Paulownia seal of the government and the Chrysanthemum seal of the Imperial family. Presumably the standing screen was painted for, and kept in, a Buddhist temple with ties to the Government and the Imperial family. The panel was originally one side of a two sided standing screen or tsuitate. The reverse side of this tsuitate bears the artist’s signature and seal along with the date. This will accompany this framed panel. Kunii Oyo (1868-1923) was the sixth-generational head of the Maruyama school. He lived in Kyoto and is known to have used the art names Kensai, Shiken and Shisei. He followed his father, Kunii (Maruyama) Obun (1833-1887). Kunii Obun’s mother was the younger sister of Maruyama Oshin (1790-1838) and her son inherited the lineage of the Maruyama school. Kunii Osho (1904-1981) is the son of Oyo and became the 7th generational head of the Maruyama school. He was highly regarded as an appraiser of Maruyama school paintings. Works by the artist are held in the Mitsui Bunko Museum and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Creator:
Kunii Oyo 1 (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 33 in (83.82 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
Style:
Meiji (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Silk,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
1890-1899
Date of Manufacture:
1894
Condition:
Restored and remounted in Kyoto.
Seller Location:
Kyoto, JP
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU247236885083