Indicative South African price: R7,200
Murase Sōseki (1823–1878)
ca. 1860–70
Ink and light colour on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll
The scroll: 180 × 39.5 cm
The painting: 112 × 28.5 cm
A Shijō school painter born in Kyoto, Murase Sōseki studied first under Matsumura Keibun and later with Yokoyama Seiki, situating his work within the refined naturalist traditions of late Edo and early Meiji painting.
A vertical study of a sea bream suspended from a bamboo fishing line, rendered in fluid ink with restrained washes of soft brown and muted rose. The fish is depicted mid-catch, its rounded eye alert and mouth slightly parted, the scales suggested through rhythmic, abbreviated brushwork rather than meticulous detailing.
The descending bamboo rod introduces a strong diagonal, balancing the vertical format and creating a gentle internal tension within the composition. The generous use of negative space allows the form to breathe, lending the image a quiet clarity and compositional ease.
The handling reflects a painter at ease within established naturalist conventions, where observation is filtered through economy of means rather than descriptive excess. While not a masterwork, the painting possesses charm and decisiveness, and its tonal restraint gives it a calm, contemplative presence.
Signed and sealed lower left.
Age-related toning and slight surface undulation consistent with period scrolls of this type.
Indicative South African price: R7,200
Murase Sōseki (1823–1878)
ca. 1860–70
Ink and light colour on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll
The scroll: 180 × 39.5 cm
The painting: 112 × 28.5 cm
A Shijō school painter born in Kyoto, Murase Sōseki studied first under Matsumura Keibun and later with Yokoyama Seiki, situating his work within the refined naturalist traditions of late Edo and early Meiji painting.
A vertical study of a sea bream suspended from a bamboo fishing line, rendered in fluid ink with restrained washes of soft brown and muted rose. The fish is depicted mid-catch, its rounded eye alert and mouth slightly parted, the scales suggested through rhythmic, abbreviated brushwork rather than meticulous detailing.
The descending bamboo rod introduces a strong diagonal, balancing the vertical format and creating a gentle internal tension within the composition. The generous use of negative space allows the form to breathe, lending the image a quiet clarity and compositional ease.
The handling reflects a painter at ease within established naturalist conventions, where observation is filtered through economy of means rather than descriptive excess. While not a masterwork, the painting possesses charm and decisiveness, and its tonal restraint gives it a calm, contemplative presence.
Signed and sealed lower left.
Age-related toning and slight surface undulation consistent with period scrolls of this type.