Nine various monkeys are playfully trying to dangle from each other while a few have lost grasp and appear to fall to the ground.
Paintings of stylized monkeys were first introduced to Japan in the 15th century from works produced in China during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. A surviving work by Muqi (in the Daitokuji collection) is one notable example. By the late Muromachi Period, Sesson was one artist who was known to paint monkeys gathered as a group...
From a distance it appears like a stylized form of Mt. Fuji with clouds. Upon closer examination, the lines are done in calligraphy and the words used to create the landscape are from the Noh plays by Zeami.
The calligraphy was done by an artist named Takeda Ikkou who was active during the 19th century.
Size: height 71.75" width 19.9"
Note: Please email for information of which Noh plays were used for the piece.
Three samurais gathered are engaged in various activities. One is holding an inro, another is evaluating mirrors, and the other is holding a sake cup. The inscription describes the story of the second and third Shoguns, Tokugawa Hidetada and Iemitsu and the loyalty their vassals have given to their masters. The three vassals were also known as the four guardians of the Tokugawa Shogunate (Tokugawa Shitenno) and were critical in solidifying the foundations of the Tokugawa Shogunate...
Simple yet energetic. Stylized but enough to visualize the serene view. These are comments that most tend to associate with the philosophical aspects of a splashed ink or haboku landscape painting. These paintings were influenced from the simple aesthetics that were imported from Song China and Joseon Period Korea.
The work is attributing Kano Seisei-in (1795-1846) from the Kobikicho branch of the Kano School...
Refined, fashionable, and impeccable could be the few words that could describe this work from the Miyagawa School of ukiyoe paintings. The work contains a signature and seal attributing to Miyagawa Issho (1689-1780). Miyagawa Issho is known for his paintings of courtesans and shunga which most of the early ukiyoe artists painted. Additionally, during Issho's period most of the ukiyoe paintings were hand painted...
A six panel folding screen done on paper with gold leaf embellishments. The painting is a kacho-ga subject of peonies with various species of birds mingling around the peony bush and flying around it. The style of the painting done on this screen is of the Kano School. The work contains similar styles that the school of Kano Shosen-in, who was the last master in the Kano tradition to serve the feudal lords at the end of the Edo period.
Age: Late Edo-Meiji. Size: height 42.25" length 93"
Works done on uchiwa (Dansen) or hand fans rarely survive and paintings done by Ogata Korin (1658-1716) are extremely rare. One is housed at the Hatakeyama Museum in Tokyo, another in Yamanaka, Ishikawa Prefecture in a private collection. The work shown is a piece originally made for a hand fan. The bamboo frame was removed and re-mounted onto a hanging scroll...
Hawks have been the prime preference for the ruling samurai class since the feudal system came into being in the 13th century. This work by an artist named Kazusada who served the Hosokawa Clan as their court painter. Kazusada was living during the Bunka-Bunsei era (1790-1830) and the work was formerly part of the Nonaka Estate.
The work uses a style of brushwork often seen in the works of Ito Jakuchu where the artist skillfully uses water and ink to depict the feathers of the bird...
Paintings of hawks have long been the preferences of samurai warriors where the hawks were used for hunting, gifts to major lords, and has been a symbolic representation of catching the target swiftly.
The scroll is the work attributing to Kano Yukinobu (1717-1770). Yukinobu inherited the Hamamachi branch of the Kano School during the late 18th century.
Age: Edo Period. Size: 72.5cm x 123.7cm or 28.5" x 48.7"
Images of sages are a popular subject matter among the ruling samurai class to decorate in the alcoves and rooms of the residence. The pair of scroll is depicting two noted sages found in Daoism, Li Tieguai and the frog sage. The frog sage often carries a frog that provides magical wonders and is an auspicious figure for the home. Li Tieguai is known for his teachings on virtue and morality.
The work is very similar to the standard styles often seen in Kano school works...
Soufuku (pair of scrolls) attributed to Sakai Hoitsu 1761-1828. The Autumn scroll, on the left, has a maple tree with beautiful red leaves turning gold as the season changes. Sakai Hoitsu’s work is prized for the sensitivity given to the subtle changes in weather during the seasons. Under the tree, a sparrow amongst grasses walks. The Spring scroll, on the right, has a traditional Japanese spring scene of a blooming cherry blossom tree...
Typically dragons are portrayed flying among the clouds, mingling with tigers and sages, or rising near Mt. Fuji. However, this painting portrays a dragon that is rising among branches of flowering plum. An uncommon setting...
