Satake Eiryō – 佐竹永陵 (1872-1937) *Leading authority on Tani Bunchō – Bamboo And Plum Blossoms In Mist – 霧の中の竹と梅

Satake-san must have had an interesting experience growing up in Asakusa just after the Meiji Restoration. It was a prosperous district for temples, businesses and entertainment. Learning calligraphy from his grandfather, Ryuto Masaki, he became of sufficient skill and discipline to study under the highly respected Satake Eikō, who was the adopted son of the great Satake Eikai,  who once courted the young Shibue Io, and who’s works are held in many prestigeous international collections. Eikai himself was a student of the legendary Tani Bunchō. This lineage was directly transmitted to Satake Eiryō, making him not only a higly respected painter, but also an acknowledged art historian, connoisseur, and during his lifetime, the leading authority and authenticator of Tani Bunchō. Eiryō’s works were held in the collections of William Anderson FRCS, and the American father of Japanese art collecting, William Sturgis Bigelow.

This piece is painted in the classic, strong, confident style of the Bunchō school, with Eiryō’s delicate personality asserting itself into the mist surrounding the bamboo. The brush strokes were executed so masterfully that it appears three dimensional. This style can be seen in this other piece of his held in the Smithsonian. Eiryō painted, in person, for Emperor Meiji in 1894, participated in the formation of “Nihongakai” in 1898, was an official painter to the Imperial Household, co-founded the “Japan Southern Song Painting Society” in 1906, was a judge of the Japan Art Association / Japanese Painting Association, judge at the Bunten Exhibition, and accomplished much, much more. The final photo on this page is from Japan’s premier art publication, “Bijutsu Gaho”, September 1915 edtition. Eiryō’s son decided to become a dentist instead of a painter, so the Satake painting lineage officially ended with his passing. He rests in the Yanaka cemetery alonside Eikō and Eikai.

Good condition (light foxing – fine silk mounting in very good condition for its age). Please click the arrow on the upper left corner of the pictures to expand them.

16.5″ x 73.5″ – $750 – Price includes shipping worldwide! Comes with a signed and sealed document of authenticity and 3 hours worth of further information relevant to the piece in written and documentary form. Shipped in an industrial-strength, air-tight, re-capable tube good for decades worth of storage. All prices in Canadian dollars.