267 - KISHI GANKU: A FINE PAIR OF ‘TIGER AND DRAGON’ HANGING SCROLLS

KISHI GANKU: A FINE PAIR OF ‘TIGER AND DRAGON’ HANGING SCROLLS By Kishi Ganku (1749-1839), each signed Ganku with seals Ganku and Funzen Japan, 1785-1808, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Forrer, Matthi [ed.] (2020) Kakemono: Five centuries of Japanese painting. The Perino Collection, p. 113, cat. no. 95. Exhibited: MUSEC Villa Malpensata, Lugano, Kakemono: Five centuries of Japanese painting. The Perino Collection, 17 July 2020-11 April 2021. MAO Museo d'Arte Orientale, Turin, Kakemono: Five centuries of Japanese painting. The Perino Collection, 12 November 2021-25 April 2022. Ink on silk. Each mounted as a hanging scroll on a silk brocade frame with ivory jikusaki (roller ends). Finely painted as a complementary diptych, the right scroll with a vicious dragon emerging from swirling storm clouds, the left with a tiger seated amid rocks and grasses, conspicuously turning its head away from the dragon, avoiding the beast’s piercing gaze. Inscriptions: Each signed 岸駒 Ganku with seals 岸駒 Ganku and 賁然 Funzen. Image SIZE 99.6 x 41.3 cm (each), SIZE incl. mounting 185 x 54.5 cm (each) Provenance: Ex-collection Dr. Claudio Perino, Turin, Italy, acquired mostly in Japan in the early 2000s. Dr. Claudio Perino (b. 1951) is a collector with a keen interest in Japanese, Chinese and Far Eastern cultures. His collection consists of over 2000 works of art, partly loaned to the Museum of Oriental Arts (MAO) in Turin, Italy and to the Museo delle Culture (MUSEC) in Lugano, Switzerland. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. Few stains, some creasing, and minor rubbing and fading to the ink. The mountings with expected wear and minuscule losses to the edges. Important notice: Please note that we will need to remove the ivory roller ends before shipping / handing over the item. The roller ends are not part of this offer. Kishi Ganku (1749-1839) was a leading Japanese painter of Kyoto and founder of the Kishi school of painting. He is famous for his paintings of tigers. Ganku was born in Kanazawa as Kishi Saeki, studied painting styles including those of Chinese painter Shen Nanpin and the Maruyama-Shijo school, and arrived in Kyoto around 1780. By the late 18th century, Ganku’s paintings were appreciated by patrons that included the imperial family, leading to a position under Prince Arisugawa. His students included his son, Gantai (1782-1865), son-in-law Ganryou (1797-1852), adopted son Renzan (1804-59), Yokoyama Kazan (1784-1837), Shirai Kayou (fl. ca 1840-60), and Kawamura Bumpou (1779-1821). He was made honorary governor of Echizen (Echizen no kami) toward the end of his life. The pairing of the tiger and dragon is rooted in ancient Chinese cosmology, where these two creatures represent opposing yet complementary forces, embodying the yin (the feminine aspect) and yang (the masculine aspect). The tiger’s roar is believed to generate wind, while the dragon is associated with clouds, further symbolizing their balancing roles in the natural world. These creatures also signify a range of dualities: male and female, autumn and spring, west and east, and wind and rain. The tiger and dragon were two of the Four Divine Animals associated with the cardinal directions, and this visual tradition was initially established in China. It later spread to Japan, where it gained prominence through the importation of diptychs attributed to the Song dynasty painter Muqi (active mid to late 1200s), which are now held in the Daitokuji in Kyoto. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related pair of hanging scrolls, Tiger and Dragon, by Kishi Ganku, dated to the 19 th century, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese & Korean Art, 25 March 2026, New York, lot 953 (sold for USD 5,376 or approx. EUR 4,800 converted at the time of writing).