Sugai Baikan (1784-1844) Early/mid 19th century
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436*
Sugai Baikan (1784-1844)
Early/mid 19th century
Emakimono (handscroll), painted in ink and slight colour on paper with a humorous continuous scene of several turtles personified in a variety of human activities and pursuits including performing acrobatic feats, playing instruments, punting, drinking sake, archery, fishing, writing calligraphy, neck wrestling, flying kites and even riding suppon (soft shell turtle), signed with two seals Baikan gain, one possibly reading Washaraku Jinshaju; with storage box titled Hyakukizu no maki (The scroll of a picture of one hundred turtles). 27cm x 2044.5cm (10 5/8in x 804 7/8in). (2).
Estimate:
£5,500 - 6,500
JPY 820,000 - 970,000
US$ 8,600 - 10,000

Footnotes

  • 亀戯画　管井梅関筆　一巻　紙本着色　19世紀前期/中期

    Sugai Baikan was an Nanga painter. He was born in Sendai and went to study first under Tani Buncho (1763-1840) in Edo, then to Kyoto, and finally to Nagasaki, where he became the student of the Chinese painter Chiang Chia-pu. He returned to Sendai aged forty and served the Date clan as their Official Painter.

    The manner how the turtles are imbued with a personal, atmospheric quality and satirical humour, is reminiscent of the Chouju-jinbutsu-giga, a famous emakimono which pioneered the depiction of frolicking animal-person caricatures, painted in the twelfth century reputedly by the Buddhist monk Toba Sojo.

Category: Asian Art / Japanese Art

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Suzannah Yip Bonhams
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