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Tachibana Shozan, Shiba Dogs, 1837

Offered by: Thomsen Gallery

Description
Shiba Dogs, 1837
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Image size 54¼ x 32¼ in. (137.2 x 82.3 cm)
Overall size 83 x 39 in. (209 x 98 cm)
T-3457
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Depiction of around 80 gamboling adult and puppy Shiba dogs
Signed "Drawn in autumn 1837 by Shōzan [also known as] Tachibana of the Undefiled Dwelling)", with two seals

Building on an established tradition of dog painting (as well as a mid-Edo period fashion for compositions involving large groups of animals) the little-known painter and illustrator Tachibana Shōzan here brings us a mass of lively Shiba-inu (one of Japan’s favorite breeds), including both playful puppies and somewhat more placid adults. The celebrated painter Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1797), along with his leading pupil Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754–1799), had popularized similar images in Kyoto a generation earlier and Shōzan here shows himself to be more than a match for his famed predecessors, succeeding like them in using the mokkotsu (boneless) style to depict the different muted tones of the animals’ coats with minimal outlines; only red textile toys held in the mouths of two dogs add a splash of contrasting color.

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Message from Seller:

Thomsen Gallery, now located at 8 East 67th Street, New York City, NY 10065, specializes in important Japanese paintings, folding screens, hanging scrolls, ceramics, ikebana bamboo baskets, lacquerware, and contemporary works by select artists. Owned and directed by Erik and Cornelia Thomsen, the gallery brings decades of expertise in Japanese art to a global clientele, including private collectors and major museums. For inquiries, contact them at 212-288-2588 or info@thomsengallery.com.