SHIBATA ZESHIN 柴田是真 (1807–1891) SET OF TANZAKU (POEM-CARDS) WITH DESIGNS FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS 月次絵短冊
Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1870–1890Ink, colours, and gold on silk mounted on thin card, with a gold-painted border; for signatures and seals, please refer to the individual descriptions below36.0cm × 6.3cm (14?in × 2?in) eachWith fitted wood storage box inscribed outside Tanzaku jūnikagetsu たんざく 十二ヶ月 (Tanzaku for the twelve months); inscribed inside Hachijūgo-ō Tairyūkyo Zeshin 八十五翁 対柳居是真 (Tairyūkyo Zeshin, aged 85); stencil-dyed cotton slipcase (14)Provenance:Yamauchi Collection (Kōsetsusai)山内家(香雪斎)旧藏Tōkyō Bijutsu Kurabu (Tokyo Arts Club) April 1926, lot 87Sold in these Rooms, 5 November 2014, lot 8
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Zeshin loved to create sets of paintings or lacquers on the theme of the twelve months, each of them with a different selection of designs, including time-honoured motifs dating back many centuries as well as more recent festivals and customs. Among the best known are a set of twelve inrō in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Gōke 1981b, pl. 61–72); a set of twelve zodiac-animal plaques in the Burke Collection (Gōke 1981b, pl. 103–115); a set of twelve paintings in the Khalili Collection, similar to this one in size and style but with different motifs, dating from circa 1884 (Earle and Gōke 1996, cat. no. 100); another set of the same size in Itabashi Art Museum (Yasumura, 2009, cat. no. J-40); another set in a private collection (Gōke 1981b, pl. 285–296); and three further sets reproduced in early posthumous exhibition catalogues (Shioda 1908 and Shibata 1912, both unpaginated). [7.1]First Month正月 手まりTwo itomari or temari (balls made from silk thread); signed Zeshin 是真 with seal Tairyūkyo 対柳居With paper wrapper inscribed Shōgatsu temari (First month, silk balls)Itomari or temari (balls made from silk thread) were a favourite children's gift at New Year. Zeshin often depicted two of them, one slightly larger than the other, to symbolize the many festivities that mark the first month. For two examples in lacquer, see Nezu Bijutsukan 2012, cat. nos. 2 and 4.[7.2]Second Month二月 梅Three figures with large straw hats in a shower of rain, one wearing a straw raincoat, another holding branches of plum; signed Zeshin 是真 with seal Reisai 令哉With paper wrapper inscribed Nigatsu ume (Second month, plum)Associated with the coming of spring, plum blossoms were—and still are—celebrated during the second month at several shrine festivals held in and around Edo/Tokyo.[7.3]Third Month三月 ひいなTwo dolls with shells; signed Zeshin 是真 with seal Hanken 半縣With paper wrapper inscribed Sangatsu hiina (Third month, dolls)Tachibina or tatebina, paired male and female dolls manufactured from paper or fabric, were made for Hinamatsuri (the Girls' Festival) that took place on the third day of the third lunar month. One of Zeshin's favourite subjects, they are seen on many of his lacquers: a well-known example is a suzuribako (box for writing utensils) in the Khalili Collection (Earle and Gōke 1996, cat. no. 5). The seal Hanken, not often seen after Zeshin's signature, may also be found on a painting of a rustic scene in the Khalili Collection (Earle and Gōke 1996, cat. no. 96) and on a painting of leaves and wild grasses reproduced in Link 1979, cat. no. 43.[7.4]Fourth Month