Unidentified Japanese painter’s ink drawing, “Jurojin Riding a Celestial Reindeer”, c1850

Unidentified Japanese painter (fl.c1850)

The dealer from whom I purchased this brush drawing advised me that the drawing was part of a collection dated on the original boards to around 1850. This particular brush drawing was initially three individual sheets that were lightly glued together. These sheets have now been laid onto washi paper for support, alignment and to unify the sheets as a whole. Sadly, in the process of laying the sheets onto the support paper, the two chop marks (printed in red) dissolved in the process of gluing and this loss has removed my chance to establish the name of the artist.

“Jurojin Riding a Celestial Reindeer” (descriptive title only based on my reading of the subject), c1850, ink drawing on washi paper backed with a support sheet.

Jurojin (寿老人), Japanese Deity of Longevity, is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin [七福神]) whose usual mount is a deer. In this scene, however, Jurojin rides an ungulate with the split hooves of a reindeer. I may be wrong, but I assume that the dotted outline of this reindeer, beyond being mimetic strokes suggesting the texture of fur, adds an otherworldly dimension to the reindeer.

Size: (support sheet) 87.2 x 42 cm; (sheet) 65.3 x 30 cm.

Condition: the original glue stains joining the sheets are clearly visible—arguably enhancing rather than detracting from the beauty of the image—and the fine washi paper has the usual naturally occurring “debris”; otherwise, the drawing has no tears, holes, folds or foxing, and has been laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this large brush drawing from the mid-nineteenth century executed by the sensitive and controlled hand of a Japanese master, for the total cost of AU$338 (currently US$253.23/EUR217.43/GBP183.35 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this serenely beautiful ink brush drawing executed in a time when every piece of paper was valuable, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.