Large preparatory drawing for a folding screen,... - Lot 153 - Ader

Lot 153
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Estimation :
9000 - 12000 EUR
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Result : 26 880EUR
Large preparatory drawing for a folding screen,... - Lot 153 - Ader
Large preparatory drawing for a folding screen, attributed to Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), Japan, dated 1881Ink , lacquer and polychrome on paper. This preparatory work is made up of numerous sheets of Japanese paper glued together and representing various insects caught in a large spider's web. Butterflies, dragonflies, wasps, a ladybug and a grasshopper can be recognized, as well as three pine needles. A large spider admires the harvest from its trap. On two of the insects are written directions to follow when making the final work. For one, a clarification on the color to be applied: "black ink" - 墨 - sumi as well as the phrase "dotted mother of pearl" - ポチ□青貝 - pochi pochi aogai. For the other, the instruction to use mother-of-pearl for the insect tail work 尾青貝 - o aogai. In silhouette at the lower right is the signature as well as a cyclic date and seal: 古満是真製 明治辛巳秋八月 - Koma Zeshin sei Meiji kanoto mi aki hachi gatsu - "Made by Koma[i] Zeshin, in the Meiji era, on the eighth month, autumn[ii] of the year of the metal snake[iii]." Zeshin seal. Size : about 137 x 168,3 cm. Framed in plexiglass. While everything conforms to the final work in terms of size, signature, positioning and nature of the insects, there are some small differences: for example, Shibata Zeshin removed the butterfly located in the drawing to the "northwest" of the spider, and one can see that the insect at the top right of the spider has a different position. The artist must have thought that this was detrimental to the balance of his composition, so he made these two small changes among others. This rare document is most likely the preparatory drawing for a two-leaf folding screen which is currently in the famous Khalili collection known for its 1400 major art objects representative of the Meiji period, including about 100 by the artist Shibata Zeshin. In particular, the collection holds this screen made in urushi-e (lacquer painting), a rare and difficult technique that was practiced with great mastery by Shibata Zeshin. 1881,日本柴田是真屏风画准备稿1 Zeshin used this go or artist's name in reference to one of his masters, Koma Kansai, who had taught him the art of lacquer painting. 2 At that time in Japan, each season consisted of three months, autumn was from August to October . 3 Cyclic date corresponding in the sexagesimal calendar to the fourteenth year of the Meiji era, i.e. 1881.
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