SHIBATA ZESHIN: A MASTERFUL LACQUER PAINTING OF... Lot n° 49

SHIBATA ZESHIN: A MASTERFUL LACQUER PAINTING OF A CARP ASCENDING A WATERFALL By Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), signed Shibata Zeshin and seal Shin Japan, 19th century The bright-red ground painted in thick, flawless strokes of silverish lacquer depicting a carp, its fins outspread, ascending the waterfall next to a craggy rock cliff. The artist masterfully used the negative space to form the waterfall, its stream running over and splashing out to the sides of the fish’s head. The lacquer is embellished with small specks of mother-of-pearl throughout the composition. Signed to the lower right ZESHIN with seal Shin, a seal frequently used by this master. SIZE 30.4 x 28.8 cm (image), 34.9 x 32.3 cm (incl. frame) Condition: Excellent condition. One small nick to the frame and minor expected wear to the back of the panel. Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) was a Japanese painter, lacquer artist, and printmaker of the late Edo period to early Meiji era. He has been called ‘Japan's greatest lacquerer.’ His work, unlike the oils being used by so many of his contemporaries, never need re-touching and never faded. He was a master of emulating oil or ink painting with lacquer and combined groundbreaking techniques with traditional subjects. His studio was situated on the bank of a river, providing him with ample opportunity to observe nature, and the creatures that inhabited the natural world. Like many painters of the 19th century, he was eclectic in his sources and would have been exposed to traditional styles. However, Zeshin's skill level was such that he could fluidly mix techniques, ideas, and stylistic options, thus painting part of a composition in one manner and including elements of another to add variety and dynamics unheard of at the time. The carp is associated with strength and resilience. In Chinese mythology, the Longmen (lit. Dragon Gate) is located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain. The legend states that while many carps swim upstream against the river's strong current, few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon. Museum comparison: Compare a related painting by the same artist, signed Zeshin, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 2019.193.78. Auction comparison: Compare a related set of three sake cups bearing a similar ground and similarly lacquered, by Shibata Zeshin, at Bonhams, The Misumi Collection of Important Works of Lacquer Art and Paintings, 8 November 2017, London, lot 12 (sold for GBP 37,500), today on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2019.193.43a–c.