Kano Tatsunobu “Chinese Lion with Peony”

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IItem No.
Title	Chinese Lion with Peony （Ink on paper）
Overall size
Artwork size	63.5×44.7
Artist	Kano Tatsunobu (1814-1891)
Date Created	19th century
Price	400,000 yen (excluding tax)

　Male and female Chinese lions strut among the rocks. Colorful peonies in full bloom add to the gorgeous surroundings.

　The design of this work is based on the “Chinese Lions” （owned by the Imperial Household Agency, San-no-Maru Shogakukan ）by Kano Eitoku (1543-1590), who was active in the Momoyama period (1543-1590). Eitoku’s works, which were highly valued by famous masters of the school, must have served as a model for later Kano school painters to learn from.

　However, the charm of this work is that it is not a mere copy of Eitoku’s work. Unlike Eitoku’s muscular and sharp-eyed chinese lions, which depicted by Tatsunobu have a gentle expression and graceful appearance. The spiral-shaped mane, which in Eitoku’s work is expressed with the force of a flame, is expressed with a soft, habitual hair-like texture.

　This is an excellent work that allows the viewer to fully appreciate the charm of Tatsunobu’s works, which are supported by vivid coloring and exquisite detailing.
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　Kano Tatsunobu (1814-1891) was the 15th head of the Nakahashi Kano family. He served four shoguns from Ienari Tokugawa to Iemochi Tokugawa, and was employed by the shogunate in a number of capacities, including the production of the Edo Castle barrier paintings. After the Meiji Restoration, he continued to be active in the Imperial Palace and was appointed as a member of the Imperial Household Artists in 1890.

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.