A KAKEJIKU OF MONKEYS BY MORI SOSEN (1747-1821)Ink and color on silkJapan, late 18th – early 19th centuryDepicted is a mother monkey with her two young picking fleas. The mother is caressing one of the younger monkeys and is looking towards the left, her facial expression beautifully naturalistic. The younger ones are looking at fleas between their fingers and are visually absorbed by this. The background with little speckles of ink and gold flakes to create a three-dimensional effect, further highlighting the image of the monkeys. Signed Sosen utsuishi, sealed Mori Shusho and Sosen.Mori Sosen was the founder of the Mori school was active in Osaka at the end of the Edo period and was famous for his paintings of monkeys, his designs were copied for some of the very best satsuma and lacquer works. His brush strokes and style are unmistakable, and he was said to have painted from sketches he made in real life, which explains the incredible sense of naturalism conveyed by his paintings.Shape: Kakejiku scrollDimensions: Painting 82 x 43 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor creasesProvenance: Isreal Goldman Japanese Prints, London England, 13 December 2000, and thence by decentAuction result comparison: A similar painting by Mori Sosen, with similar treatment of the background, was sold at Bonhams, London, 11 November 2010, lot 343