A TWO-PANEL ‘THE OLD TIGER’ FOLDING SCREEN, BYOBU, BY KASUI, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A TWO-PANEL ‘THE OLD TIGER’ FOLDING SCREEN, BYOBU, BY KASUI, 17TH-18TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005: “No. 416, Kyoto Shinmonzen [...], Japanese Byobu 2 panel ‘Tiger on Rock’ Edo 18th c.” Gallery price: EUR 2,900 or approx. EUR 4,800 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Expert’s note: The tiger depicted in this screen is distinguished by an unusual and highly distinctive coat pattern, in which the conventional striping is replaced by a striking honeycomb-like network. The result is a compelling tension between realism and stylization, suggesting a symbolic rather than purely zoological conception of the beast. The tiger’s face is rendered with particular force, its expression defiant and unwavering. There is a palpable sense of resistance in its gaze, as if the animal stands opposed not only to external threat but also to the passage of time itself, asserting vitality against age and entropy. In the background, a pine tree further deepens this reading. Long associated in East Asian visual culture with endurance and longevity, the pine introduces a quiet counterpoint to the tiger’s charged presence. Together, they form a cohesive meditation on persistence, strength, and survival beyond decay. See a painting by Katsushika Hokusai depicting a similarly aged feline with honeycomb-like pelt, painted in the last year of the artist’s life, at Christie’s New York, 27 October 1998, lot 83, sold for USD 772,500 or approx. EUR 1,388,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Japan. Ink on paper. Mounted on silk brocade on two roiro-lacquered wood panels. Superbly painted with a majestic old tiger standing in a dynamic pose with its paws tightly clutching a craggy rock, all under an old, gnarled pine tree. The feline with a powerful expression, its gaze pointed upwards, the ears lowered, the mouth wide open showing fangs, the fur intricately detailed in an unusual stylized honeycomb pattern. Inscriptions: Signed ‘Kasui’ 華水 with seals ‘Rin Yu no in’ 林雄之印 and ‘Unso sanjin’ 雲窓山人. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Size 122.5 x 117 cm The artist appears to have signed with the family name Hayashi 林 and a given name containing the character 雄, which may be read Yu, O, or Takeo, among other possible readings. He also used the art name Unso sanjin 雲窓山人, literally “the mountain man of the cloud window,” a poetic sobriquet suggesting a scholar-painter who delighted in observing and painting clouds from the window of his studio retreat. While no firmly matching painter has yet been identified, the style, signature, and seals suggest that the artist may have been active in the circle of Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841), or possibly among his students or followers. Kazan was one of the leading literati painters of the late Edo period, celebrated for his refined synthesis of Japanese, Chinese, and Western painting traditions. Literature comparison: Compare a related six-panel byobu depicting two tigers and a pine tree, by Kishi Ganku, dated early 1800s, 164.8 x 362.5 cm, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1983.3.2.

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