Page 152 - Bonhams Fine Japanese Art London November 2018

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A prolific painter, print-designer, and illustrator, Ogata Gekko is perhaps For the closest published version of the Kamo horse race, compare
best known today for his stirring propaganda prints depicting the a pair of chubyobu (two-thirds size) screens in the Suntory Museum
success of the imperial forces in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), of Art, dated by Sakakibara Satoru to the Kanbun era (1661-1673).
but he was an accomplished artist in many different styles and genres. As Sakakibara notes, over time the religious and ceremonial aspects
Self-taught in art (although strongly influenced by Kikuchi Yosai), he is of the Kamo races became less important and the shrine itself
said to have started his career decorating porcelain but he soon rose in consequently no longer needed to occupy the whole of the left-hand
status, joining leading painting societies and exhibition juries and moving screen as in earlier examples. Held every year on the fifth day of the
in the same circles as the influential American pundit Ernest Fenollosa fifth month, the event became more of a straightforward entertainment,
and the cultural ideologue Okakura Kakuzo. Following the success as the present lively version attests; see Takeda Tsuneo and others,
of his war prints, Gekko was selected to exhibit large-scale figural Nihon byobu-e shusei (Compendium of Japanese Screen Painting),
compositions at several international expositions including Chicago vol. 13, Fuzokuga: Sairei, kabuki (Genre Painting: Ceremonies and
(1893), Paris (1900), and London (1910). Kabuki), Tokyo, Kodansha, 1978, cat. nos.27-28, 29-30 and p.95.
272 TP
ARTIST UNKNOWN, TOSA SCHOOL
Edo period (1615-1868), second half of the 17th century
The right-hand of a pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and colours
on gold paper, depicting a panorama of the annual horse race at the
Kamigamo (Upper Kamo) Shrine with five mounted participants and
numerous extravagantly dressed spectators and revellers on both
sides of the racetrack, including courtiers, samurai and members
of the townsman class, amongst temples, shrines and viewing and
performance platforms set against a background of the Kamo River
and distant hills interspersed with gold clouds. 171.5cm x 370cm
(67½in x 145¾in).

£3,000 - 5,000
JPY450,000 - 740,000
US$4,000 - 6,600
For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
150 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.