Kyoto

Tanaka Tessen (b.1890) Dahlias and Roosters Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments and ink on silk. Dimensions (framed): H. 159 cm x W. 97 cm x D. 2.5 cm (62.5” x 38” x 1”) An ornate and complex composition in which the artist explores almost the entire painting surface. The coloration is bold and evocative and the tinted silk ground recreates the warm golden glow of sunset. Soft, luminous brushwork details the black feathers of the roosters, which seem to cloud and blur in counterpoint to the sharper points of the eyes and beaks. Their brilliant red combs balance the composition, echoing the rich burgundy hues of the dahlias; the flowers exquisite and lifelike. Dahlias were an exotic subject favored by painters of the Taisho era. The painting belongs to the school of Kyoto Nihonga, exemplifying the principles of decorative elegance and consumate brush technique with which it was intimately associated. Painters of the time relied on the Shijo school method, basing the forms of the composition from life sketches. Sometimes they were then integrated with elements derived from Chinese bird and flower...

Amaranth and Rooster Artist unknown Hanging scroll, ink, mineral pigment and gofun on silk. Painting inscription: Tojo ?? Painting seal: Tojo ?? circa 1930 Dimensions: Scroll:...

Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654) “Falcon” Wall panel, ink and light color on paper. Upper Seal: Mitani Lower Seal: Toshuku Dimensions: Each 118.5 cm x 51 cm x 2 cm (46.5” x 20” x .75”) Individual falcon paintings by Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654), an early artist of the Unkoku School. Founded by Unkoku Togan (1547–1618), a master of the Momoyama period, the Unkoku school enjoyed long lasting patronage in southern Japan. Togan was a retainer of the Mori family in present day Yamaguchi prefecture. Members of the school considered themselves to be in the artistic lineage of Sesshu Toyo...

Mother’s Breast (Chichi) 1844 Hanging scroll. Ink, pigments and gofun on silk. Inscription: Kouka era, dragon year, late winter, painted by Shozan Yashou Artist’ seals: ...

Two framed panels by Yamamoto Shunkyo depicting a carp (koi) leaping from a river. Ink and gold leaf on paper. Instinctively brushed in a freehand s...

Illustration to an unidentified chapter of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th Century) Ink, pigment, gofun and...

Raijin - God of Thunder Yamaguchi Soken (1759-1818) Mid to Late Edo period, circa 1800. Framed painting. Ink and light color on paper. This humorous painting depicts the Thunder God, Raijin, tumbling from the sky, presumably being struck down by one of his own lighting bolts. He clings to one drumstick as the other is in free-fall along with his Taiko drums...

Purple Trousers (Fujibakama), Illustration to Chapter 30 of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th century) Ink, ...

The Handsome Pillar (Makibashira), Illustration to Chapter 31 of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th Century) I...