Yamamoto Baiitsu “Ink Plum Blossoms”

Enlarge image by clicking on the thumbnail.

IItem No.
Title	Ink Plum Blossoms
Overall size
Artwork size
Artist	Yamamoto Baiitsu（1783〜1856）
Date Created	Tenpo 4 (1833)
Price	￥1,000,000（excluding tax ）

　This work depicts a plum tree with branches reaching toward the sky while refracting.The artist has skillfully expressed the difference in texture between the rugged, knobby trunk and the flexible young branches by utilizing the gradation and shading of the sumi ink.The ladylike beauty of the plum blossoms, rendered modestly in light ink, makes one forget that the work was painted in ink.

　The inscription “癸巳華朝前二日倣雪湖筆意／於柳池書屋梅送亮” indicates that this work was painted in February 1833, following the style of Xuehu’s work.

　Xuehu (Liu Shiru, ? – 1593) was a master of ink painting. He studied painting under Wang Mian , a painter of the Yuan dynasty known for his mastery of ink plum painting, and became famous as a master of ink plum painting himself.
Yamamoto Baiitsu, who painted this work, is said to have been so impressed by Wang Mian’s “Ink Plum Blossoms” that he was given the title “Baiitsu” .

　From Wang Mian to Xuehu, and from Xuehu to Baiitsu. This work allows viewers to closely observe the tradition of ink plum painting that has been passed down through the ages.

Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783-1856) was a nanga painter of the late Edo period. He studied under Yamamoto Rantei and Zhang Wolkiao, absorbed Chinese painting, and developed his own style of painting.
He excelled in flower-and-bird paintings, and in 1854 he was appointed as an official painter of the Owari domain.

As an antique, it may have some scratches or blemishes. We recommend that you visit our store to check the condition.
If you wish, we will send you detailed photos of the item, so please feel free to contact us.