208 - Attributed to Hasegawa Settei (長谷川 雪堤, 1813–1882), ink and wash sketch on paper, Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Attributed to Hasegawa Settei (長谷川 雪堤, 1813–1882), ink and wash sketch on paper, Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) Vertical in format, depicting a tigress crossing a river, holding one of her cubs in her mouth, while the rocky landscape and the river’s currents are rendered with broad strokes of diluted ink. Composed of four thin sheets of washi paper, this is likely a preparatory work for a painting or a folding screen. The painting bears two red seals at the bottom: one 長谷川 - Hasegawa, the other 雪堤 - Settei, corresponding to the artist’s name, Hasegawa Settei. 60 x 56 cm Vertical and horizontal creases, minor wear and soiling, a few losses and alterations to the paint. The composition depicts the famous theme of *tora no ko watashi* - 虎の子渡し - “the tiger cubs crossing the river.” According to this story, a tigress with three cubs must cross a river, but one of them is a hyō (彪), a particularly aggressive animal capable of devouring the other two; since she can carry only one cub at a time, she must make several trips, alternating between the cubs, to get them all to safety.