Lot 355: Tani Buncho (Japanese 1763-1840)

"Noh Masks", kakemono, ink and color on paper, signed and inscribed. Image 2'6-1/4" x 2'4". Buncho was a Japanese literati painter and poet and the son of poet Tani Rokkoku (1729-1809). His family were retainers of the Tayasu Family of descendents of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, so he inherited samurai status. He studied under Kato Bunrei (1706-82) and Kitayama Kangen (1767-1801) and developed a wide stylistic range that included many Chinese, Japanese and European idioms. Purchased from David Newman in 1981; original purchase receipt available.