Page 117 - Sotheby's London Fine Japanese Art Nov. 2019

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEM AN

K AWA H A R A K EIGA (1786–1860?)

THE PAINTER OF DESHIM A

The third shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu The fan-shaped island of Deshima (see Getekend door Toyoskij [signed by Toyosuke],
(1604–1651) ordered the construction of LOT 115) was not more than 65 meters the artist’s penname in Dutch.
the artificial island of Deshima in 1634 to deep, 175 meters wide on the side facing Most notably known for his close con-
accommodate the Portuguese traders living the city and 215 meters wide on the side nection with Philipp Franz von Siebold
in Nagasaki and prevent the propagation facing the sea and was surrounded by a (1796 –1866), a German physician and bota-
of their religion. The name was derived basalt wall. The island had two gateways: nist in the service of the Dutch East Indies
from the Japanese words deru [go out], the ‘Water Gate’ (Waterpoort) was located at Deshima between 1823 and 1829, Keiga
and shima [island] and can be translated as on the west side and allowed Dutch ships painted numerous pictorial images to assist
‘the island that lies in front of the city.’ In to dock and offload, while the main gate Siebold’s scientific research in medical
1639, the Tokugawa government decided to connected the island to the city of Nagasaki herbs, ichthyology (see LOT 118), zoology
expel the Portuguese following an increase on the mainland. Both entrances were and ethnological documentation including
in Christian population in the region. The heavily guarded. Only the captains of the geography, architecture (Lot 116), festi-
Dutch, who had already been operating ships were allowed to enter Deshima, while vals and landscapes (see LOT 117). Keiga’s
from the trading post in Hirado for several sailors had to remain on board. Those who enormous amount of illustrations appear
decades, had restrained from any form of wished to enter or leave Deshima, even in Siebold’s monumental works such as
Christian practice and were perfectly suit- temporarily, were subject to a thorough Nippon (1832), Fauna Japonica (1833-1850)
able to replace the Portuguese on Deshima. inspection and body search at the gateways. and Flora Japonica (1835–1841).
Consequently, the Dutch were the only Obtaining special permission from the Today, most of Keiga’s 50 works
European nation permitted to trade with a Japanese government, Kawahara Keiga are found outside of Japan. While
country that would otherwise remain virtu- (1786–1860?) worked as a painter at the about Keiga drawings and paintings
ally isolated from the rest of the world until Dutch factory of Deshima in Nagasaki from exist in Japan, the National Museum of
1854. With the declaration of bankruptcy 1811 to 1842, where he learned fundamen- Ethnology in Leiden houses more than
of the United East India Company, VOC, tals of Western painting techniques. At the 900 works by Kawahara Keiga.
in 1798, Deshima became an unprofitable behest of the Dutch at Deshima, Kawahara 1. Arlette Kouwenhoven et al., Siebold and Japan: his life and work,
trading post but the Dutch government numerously documented all ethnological (Leiden, 2000), p. 16.
2. The Seibu Museum of Art et al., Kawahara Keiga: ten, (Tokyo,
maintained it as a conduit for Western aspects of life in Japan and at Deshima. 1980), p.2.
knowledge in Japan and vice versa. Keiga occasionally signed his work with

115
For a further image of this lot see frontispiece
115