Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Paintings (30)

A long horizontal handscroll with ten individual hand-painted shunga scenes, of couples in the act of lovemaking. The focus is on the couples and their actions; there is no background. One couple uses a dildo. For as far as anyone wears a garment, those are decorated in fine details.

Signature at the end of the scroll, on the far-left side: Yamato-e Miyagawa Choshun zu. Gourd-shaped red seal: Choshun.

Very fine and detailed paintings in black ink, mineral colors and gofun (pulverized calcified shells) on paper. The hair and some of the garments are painted in black lacquer which has a sheen to it. The photos show the hair as gray, which is a light reflection. In reality, the hair is jet black.

The scroll consists of four pieces, joined together and laid down on thin Japanese backing paper for stability. Wooden scroll knobs. Comes with a futomaki, protective roll.

Japan, Edo period, 18th century

Height 10.75 inches, length ca. 130 inches.

More photos available upon request

Condition:
Missing areas along the lower edge, mostly in the first quarter of the scroll, few small missing spots and areas throughout the scroll, and restored tears. All of this stabilized by the background paper.

Provenance: Private collection Portland, OR, purchased from Brodney Gallery in Boston, MA

Miyagawa Choshun (ca 1683-1752) was a painter in the ukiyo-e style, founder of the Miyagawa school of painting. He lived and worked most of his life in Edo. Early on, he was influenced stylisticly by Hishikawa Moronobu, borrowing groups of figures from Moronobu’s paintings. He painted in hanging scroll format and created hand scrolls. He did not design woodblock prints.

Two erotic shunga drawings in black ink and mineral colors on thin paper.
On the right hand painting a double-sided dildo, to pleasure two women at the same time. The left half is made of tortoise shell (yellow with black patches), the right half is probably indicating buffalo horn.
The left-hand painting shows how to use the dildo properly.

Unsigned.

Japan, 19th century.

Each drawing 9.75 x 9.75 inches. Both drawing fully mounted onto a thicker sheet of paper.

Condition: Left hand drawing with worm holes mostly in the upper margin (unpainted area), but a few inside the circle. Right hand painting with worm holes in lower margin, inside the circle, two other torn and straightened areas. Wrinkles in paper of left-hand drawing.

One-sided orihon accordion album with 12 paintings. 10 images of man-woman scenes, one rape scene, one scene with a woman with dildo.
Paintings in black ink, mineral colors (some with gold), and gofun on silk.
The covers are bound in silk brocade, with a small silk sumie painting of a heron on the front cover, by way of a title slip.
Paintings unsigned, but in the style of Tomioka Eisen (1864–1905).
Japan, Meiji era, around 1900.

Album 11.25 x 14.75 inches
Paintings 9.5 x 13.5 inches

Paintings with a few small spots, some wear (rubbing, missing spots) at upper margins of some paintings, but all in all in excellent condition. Covers with some wear around the corners, but all in all in fine condition.

Comes in blue Chinese wrapper in fair condition.

Hanging scroll. Hand-painted painting of a snake coiling around a bamboo stalk. Black ink on silk.
Signature on left: Ippo. Red artist’s seal: Keishi.

Japan, early Meiji era.

Image: H 42 ½ x W 15 inches.
Total H 78 inches.

Few brown stains in silk, generally very good condition.

Comes with kiri-wood storage box

From the estate of Ingeborg L. Muller, wife of Robert O. Muller

In the style of the Shijo school painter Mori Ippo (1798 - 1871), but probably not by him.

Hanging scroll. Portrait of probably Sugawara no Michizane, sitting in court dress - a black garment with a long white sash - holding a wooden mace. The black garment, with red liner, is delicately decorated with flowers between waving lines. The sash also decorated with stylized flower shapes.

Tosa style. Signature at bottom: Yuho Issho ga. Red seal: Issho no in.

Colors on silk.

Japan, early 19th century.

Painted area: 23 5/16 x 10 13/16 in. (39.7 x 27.9 cm).
Total length 57 in. (146.5 cm).

Three restored holes in silk (not in image), otherwise very good condition. Mounting fairly modern and in excellent condition. Bone scroll ends.

Comes with a fitting kiribako of a later date.

Sugawara Michizane (845-903) was a Heian period scholar, poet, politician of lower nobility. He was deified as Tenjin-same, god of the sky and storms, later as a god of education/scholarship. The Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine in Kyoto was dedicated to him by the imperial court.

Hanging scroll. Various insects walking in line with luggage, simulating a lord (daimyo) traveling with his entourage to or from the capital (samurai or daimyo gyoretsu). A butterfly, suzumushi, praying mantises, yellow jackets and grass hoppers are traveling in a line, holding flowers and grasses for keyari, carrying a honeycomb for a palanquin, and berries for luggage.
Black ink and colors on silk.
Signed Bunrei; two red seals reading bun and rei.
Japan, mid 19th / second half 19th century.

Painted area: 14.5 x 20.2 inches. Total height: 46.5 inches.

Painting with some light stains, otherwise in excellent condition, mounting damaged.

Mori Bunrei (Meiji era painter) was the adopted son and pupil of Mori Ippo (1798-1871), the Shijo painter. His style and technique closely follow those of Ippo.
A very similar painting by Nishiyama Hoen (1804-1867) is in the British Museum. This type of painting is typical for the Maruyama/Shijo school and could have originated with Maruyama Okyo. The image of a procession walking out of the painting symbolizes the fading away of Edo culture in the 19th century.

Very small hand scroll showing five erotic scenes. High quality painting in the style of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).

Black ink, colors, gofun, black lacquer on silk. Gold flakes (now oxidized) on the backing paper. Glass or crystal scroll ends.

Japan, Meiji era, 19th century.

L 82.5 x H 2.5 inches

Gold flakes oxidized, otherwise excellent condition.

Hanging scroll. A dragon shoots upwards through the clouds. Its head clearly visible, pointing straight up, the tail faintly disappearing in the darkness of the sky. Black ink on silk. Very skillful use of many shades of black and gray. Signed and dated in the lower left: Bunka year of the dog (1814), Fuyu and artist’s red seal Rintai.
Japan

Image: H 52.5 x W 20 in. Mounting: H 81.5 x W 25 in. (lower roller 27.25 in. wide)

Mounting in excellent condition, painting too.

Small scroll painting of the eccentric Zen priest Ikkyu Sojun dancing on top of the head of a skeleton, who is playing the shamisen. In his hands he holds his staff topped with a skull.
Scene from the story of the Hell Courtesan, as described by Santo Kyoden, the equivalent of memento mori.
Signed and sealed at lower right by the artist.
Ink, mineral colors and gofun on silk.
Japan, early 20th century.

Painting 34 ¼ x 8 in.
Mounting 55 x 11 ½ in.

Mounting a bit dry, causing some horizontal ribs. Otherwise very good condition.

Hanging scroll. Painting of a tiger before a rock and bamboo, text in the upper half. Black ink and some faint red color on silk. Signed 73 year old hogen Sosen hitsu. Red artist’s seal. Japan, 18th century.

Yamamoto Sosen (1679-1760), Kyoto, Kano School

Painted area: 40 x 17 inches
Overall height 73 ¼ inches

Few tiny worm holes, old very light water stain, otherwise very good condition.

Framed painting of a warrior with a drawn sword, holding a severed head in his hand. On his back a flag with the image of a skull. Perhaps one of the heroes of the Taiheiki, such as Endo Giemon Masatada. But between Kuniyoshi and other Utagawa artists, several series of heroes were produced. Unsigned. The style of Utagawa Kuniyoshi or Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Black ink and colors on paper, mounted as a scroll, cut and framed. Japan, Edo period, 19th century.

Frame H 49 ½ x W 27 ¼ in. Image H 38 x W 20 in.

Some restored horizontal tears and worm holes.

Hanging scroll. Portrait of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, sitting on a tiger skin before his sword, dressed in a white garment over his armor. Ink, colors, gofun and gold sprinkle on silk. Dated mizunoe ne (1852), early summer. Signed Gyokurei Omoto and two seals.
Image H 45 ½ x W 20 in.; total height: 80 ¼ in.

Comes with fitted kiri-wood storage box inscribed, dated 1852 and signed Ono Gyokurei.

Minamoto no Tsunemoto (894-961) was an imperial prince who received the family name Minamoto. Founder of the family that brought forth Minamoto, Ashikaga and Tokugawa shogun. He was a fine poet, as well.

Ono Gyokurei (1807-1870) was active in the bakumatsu era (end of Edo period). Not in Roberts.

Hanging scroll. Summer scene. Fireflies flying over fast streaming water and resting on a rock and overhanging leaves.
Black ink, light mineral colors and gold wash on silk.
Signed Bunrin; seal Bunrin and seal Shion.

Japan, Meiji era, 1870s.

Image H 49 x W 19.5 in.; total height 76.25 in.

Gold slightly oxidized, otherwise fine condition.

Comes with wooden storage box, inscribed Bunrin hitsu hotaru no zu Shiokawa ...

Shiokawa Bunrin (1808-1877). Shijo painter, Kyoto. Pupil of Okamoto Toyohiko. Learned nanga painting and western style painting. Specialized in landscapes.

A pair of six-panel screens from 1874 signed by Bunrin and dealing with the exact same subject matter and same color scheme, is located in the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, object numbers 74-12/1 and 74-12/2

Hanging scroll. Cropped image of a fierce looking tiger. Black ink on paper. Signed Shusen Genyu sha. Seal Wata-in Shusen and seal .. Genyu. Japan, late 18th or early 19th century. Collector’s (?) seal in lower right corner.
Image H 49 ¾ x 10 ¾ in.; total height 74 in.
Professionally restored damages; now in excellent condition.

Comes with fitting kiri-wood storage box, inscribed.

Watanabe Shusen (1736-1824) – Nagasaki painter. Pupil of Ishizaki Gensho and Ishizaki Gentoku. Painted landscapes, birds-and-flowers, figures and tigers. (Roberts). A very similar painting by the same artist is known to exist.

A row of begging monks with bowls, hossu and ruyi scepters, emaciated into skeletons. At the end walks a cat skeleton. Black ink and some color on paper. Signed and sealed. Unidentified artist. Japan, early 20th century.
Image 50 ¾ x 19 in. Total length 75 ½ in.
Excellent condition.

Comes with wooden storage box (not inscribed).

Framed painting. Anatomically correct skeleton striking a rather elegant pose. Black ink and gofun on brown paper. Unsigned. Japan, late Edo, early Meiji era. Mid 19th century.
Image: 35 x 13 inches. Japanese frame: ca. 43 x 17 ¾ inches.
Gofun rubbed here and there. Chip in frame. All in all excellent condition.

This is not a medical drawing, but an artistic rendering of the subject matter.

Hanging scroll. The eight-armed deity, bearing arms and jewels, and a coiled snake (the deity Ugajin) on her head, sits on a lotus-leaf-seat, flanked by Daikoku. Before her are the 15 disciples, or jugo doji. Ink, mineral colors, gold and gofun on silk. Japan, Edo period, 18th century.
Painted area: H 37 in. x W 15 in.
Mounting severely damaged. Painting with few horizontal crack in middle section and short one at the upper left, gofun rubbed, all in all very good original condition (no restorations).
Comes with wooden storage box (no inscription, not original)

A pair of hanging scrolls depicting the gods of wind and thunder: Futen or Fujin on the left and Raiden or Raijin on the right. Ink and colors on silk. Both signed Soseki saku and each with two seals, one of which reads Soseki as well. Japan. Late Meiji or Taisho era.
Image: H 41 ½ x W 15 ½ in.
Whole: H 69 ½ x W 20 5/8 in.
Each with several horizontal cracks and missing spots lovingly restored and with scratches on the silk surface. All in all in very good and stable condition.
Rare.