Kanō Yoshinobu (also known as Kanō Tōshun) – 狩野美信 (狩野洞春美信とも呼ばれる) (1747-1797)- Japanese Dragon – 日本の竜

SOLD. -THANK-YOU!

Kanō Yoshinobu was one of the top Kanō School painters of his day. He was the son of Kanō Gensen and was a student of Kanō Toshu, the fourth-generation head of the Surugadai atelier. Training of Kanō School painters was very strict and required long days of practice. He did quite well by himself to be ordained the rank of “Hogen” in 1785 at the age of 37 or 38 and must have been able to please the court nobles with his pieces. He was, as most high-ranking Kanō School painters were, a patronage painter, and here, we can safely state that he painted this scroll for a male member of the powerful Fujiwara clan, as the red seal beneath his signature reads “Fujiwara”.  A fine Kanō School dragon painting was a staple in the collections of powerful lords and noblemen, as the ancient auspicious symbolism of the dragon is male vitality, vigor, achievement and erudite scholarship. It is the water god of the east, and when it is in harmony with the earth god of the west (the tiger), fertility becomes certain. This scroll is slightly on the large size. Normal condition for its age (a few slight cracks in the silk, some light stains, light creases and 3 bug eaten areas repeated as the pest chewed its way into the scroll – mostly on the mounting, however two holes can be seen in the upper part of the painting [picture 6] but do not detract from the ability to enjoy the painting very much). The final photo is an archival collection of some of his many other signatures and stamps over his career. This piece comes from his period documented in section B in that photo. His works are held in the Tokyo National Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Tokugawa Art Museum, among others. Please click the upper left hand corner of the photos to expand their size.

27″ x 79″ – $1000 – Price includes shipping worldwide! Comes with a signed and sealed document of authenticity. All prices in Canadian dollars.

Top
error: Content is protected !!