Lot 141: Kameda Bosai (1752-1826), Tani Buncho (1763-1840), Kikuchi Gozan (1772-1855), Tani Bun'ichi (1787-1818), Okubo Shibutsu (1767-1837), Kuwagata Shoshin (Keisai, 1764-1824), Kubo Shunman (1757-1820), Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828) and two others Fine

1816, second month Kakejiku, ink and slight colour on paper, featuring five congratulatory Chinese poems and five auspicious paintings; the poems from top to bottom by Bosai, unidentified, Gozan, Shibutsu, unidentified; the paintings from top to bottom a bat by Buncho, a pine branch by Bun'ichi, a deer by Shoshin (Keisai), a branch of peach by Shunman and two maple leaves by Hoitsu; each poem and painting with signature and seal; one of the poems dated hinoe-ne jogetsu, the second month of 1816; with wood storage box. 93.1cm x 32cm (36 5/8in x 12 5/8in). (2).

93.1cm x 32cm

The auspicious nature of the images and the congratulatory tone of the Chinese poems, with their frequent references to longevity, suggest that this collection of calligraphy and painting by some of the most notable cultural figures of Bunka-era Edo must have been created for the birthday of an equally prominent individual who is as yet unidentified. The scroll invites comparison with an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with contributions from 69 friends and associates, that was created to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Sakai Hoitsu in 1820, but its relative simplicity makes it possible that it was created in the course of a festive gathering rather than being put together over a period of time. For further discussion of the Metropolitan scroll and commemorative collaborations in general, see Matthew P. McKelway, Silver Wind: The Arts of Sakai Hoitsu (1761–1828), New York, 2012, p.111.