Page 155 - Fine Japanese Art Bonhams London May 2018

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KOBAYASHI EITAKU (SENSAI, 1843-1890) ITO SEIU (1882-1961) KODERA TOSEN (1883-1945)
Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1870-1890 Taisho (1912-1926) or Showa (1926-1989) Taisho (1912-1936) or Showa (1926-1989)
Kakejiku (hanging scroll); ink and colours on era, early-mid 20th century era, circa 1920-1945
silk mounted in silk with calico joge (top and Kakejiku (hanging scroll); ink and colours Yokomono (horizontal kakejiku [hanging
bottom strips), depicting within a roundel on silk in silk mounts, depicting a flock of scroll]); ink and colours on paper in silk
cropped at each side a beauty emerging from ferocious sword-wielding crow tengu flying mounts, depicting a playful procession of
beneath a mosquito net, her kimono boldly around a dedicatory panel inscribed to butterflies, grasshoppers, cicadas, frogs
decorated with bat motifs, the lower half of the two individuals, Ogura Kazuo and Takeda and other creatures with a stand of autumn
scroll occupied by a flowering omodaka (water Hideyoshi, the moon behind clouds below, plants in the foreground, signed and sealed
plantain), the roundel sealed Sensai and with a signed and sealed Seiu; with a wooden Tosen; with a wooden tomobako storage box
second undeciphered seal at the lower left of tomobako storage box inscribed outside inscribed outside Shuso gichu (Bugs frolicking
the scroll; with a wooden tomobako storage Hinoto-u Chikutei sei and with two seals, one by a clump of autumn plants), signed inside
box inscribed outside Sensai hitsu kaya bijin reading Chikutei. Tosen hitsu (Brushed by Tosen), sealed Tosen
zu (Picture of a beauty and mosquito net, Overall: 214cm x 68.5cm (84¼in x 27in); and with an unidentified exhibition seal; and a
brushed by Sensai). image: 125cm x 48.5cm (49¼in x 19 1/8in). (2). decorative exhibition label with the same title.
Overall: 141cm x 32.5cm (55½in x 12¾in); Overall: 117cm x 86cm (42 1/8in x 33 7/8in);
image: 70.5cm x 19cm (29½in x 7½in). (2). £1,500 - 2,000 image: 76cm x 26cm (29 7/8in x 10¼in). (3).
JPY230,000 - 300,000
£3,000 - 4,000 US$2,100 - 2,800 £4,000 - 5,000
JPY450,000 - 600,000 JPY600,000 - 760,000
US$4,200 - 5,700 Ito Seiu was born in Tokyo, the son of a US$5,700 - 7,100
metalworker. He enjoyed a varied artistic
Kobayashi Eitaku was born in Edo, apprenticed education in metalwork, ivory-carving and Born in Nagoya and a student of Morimura
at the age of 13 to Eitoku (a member of the sculpture before leaving home to study Gito (1872-1938), Kodera Tosen was an
Kano academy) and is said to have been painting with Nozawa Teiu and around 1910 independent artist who showed at the Nihon
briefly in the employ the Ii family of Hikone. started a career as a newspaper illustrator, Bijutsu Kyokai (Japan Art Association) and
After Ii Naosuke was assassinated in 1860, also working as a playwright after the Great other important exhibitions.
he eventually returned to Edo (Tokyo), worked Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Known as a
as a newspaper illustrator and was possibly satirical artist and the ‘father of bondage
mentored by Kawanabe Kyosai. Eitaku painting’, he fell foul of the censors during the
deployed his prodigious talents in a wide range 1930s and much of his work was destroyed
of genres including daring erotica, dramatic during the Tokyo air raids of spring 1945;
scenes from Japanese history, and the type of his surviving paintings are rare. The exact
refined Ukiyo-e style painting seen here. circumstances behind the creation of the
present work remain unclear.

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