Kano Naonobu “Dragon and Tiger”

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IItem No.
Title	“Dragon and Tiger”
Overall size	121.0cm×78.8cm
Artwork size	32.5cm×66.5cm
Artist	Kano Naonobu (1607-1650)
Date Created	17th century
Price	￥350,000（excluding tax）

　This work depicts a dragon and a tiger facing each other in a tense situation.
　The dragon is surrounded by dark clouds hanging in the sky, which are created by the use of dark ink blotches. The dragon peeks out from the clouds with a thunderous roar. The claw-like clouds floating around the dragon look as if it is about to attack at any moment.
　The tiger, on the other hand, is rounded on its back and stares at the dragon with an intelligent expression on its face. The overall shape of the tiger is depicted using the submerged bone method. The striped pattern is drawn with darker ink on top of the more watery ink, creating a beautiful gradation of blotches.

　The Chinese poem above the tiger is can be read as
　　“獰龍挐雲　穏乕蹲地　未决雌雄　彼此共伺”.
　
　It means, “The fierce dragon grasps the cloud, the tiger is peacefully cowering on the ground. It is still not decided victory or defeat, and they are facing each other”.

　Kano Naonobu (1607-1650) was the younger brother of Kano Tanyu, and was an official painter for the shogunate. After being called to Edo, he had a house in Takekawa-cho and later became the founder of the Kobikicho Kano family. He is also known for his participation in the production of the barrier paintings of Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace. He established his own style of painting with his wet ink work.
　The “Dragon and Tiger” by Naonobu is well known as a folding screen, but a hanging scroll like this one is rare.

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.