Description: 1775-1841
Kakejiku (vertical hanging scroll), ink on paper, depicting a tiger. Signed Tetsuzan and sealed Shushin, in wooden box.
H. 133 x W. 52 cm (painting)
H. 205 x W. 67 cm (scroll)
Provenance:
Collection Peter Poldervaart, Amsterdam
Note:
Mori Tetsuzan was a cousin of Mori Sosen (1747-1821), the famous painter of Japanese monkeys. Tetsuzan painted a tiger, but possibly never saw one in real life, for they are not native to the Japanese archipelago. Therefore artists used cats (neko) as example, resulting in a tiger with domestic cat-like features, also known in Japan as neko tora (cat tiger).