107 - SHUHO: A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE YUZEN-BIRODO ‘SHAKA TRIAD AND RAKAN’ BUDDHIST WALL HANGING, MEIJI PERIOD

SHUHO: A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE YUZEN-BIRODO ‘SHAKA TRIAD AND RAKAN’ BUDDHIST WALL HANGING, MEIJI PERIOD By Shuho, signed Shuho with seal Shuho Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) Dyed and partially cut silk velvet (yuzen-birodo), mounted within a silk brocade border. Finely worked to depict Shaka Nyorai seated on a rocky outcrop and flanked by two attendant bodhisattvas, above an assembly of rakan dispersed throughout a dramatic mountainous landscape amid swirling clouds and bamboo. The enlightened disciples are individually rendered with expressive features and various attributes, accompanied by attendants and animals, including a dragon and tiger. Inscriptions: To the bottom-left, signed 秀峰 Shuho with seal 秀峰 Shuho Image SIZE 213 x 146 cm, SIZE incl. mounting 243 x 171 cm Condition: Good condition with old wear, creasing, soiling, and scattered stains. Rubbing and fading to pigments, few small tears, loose threads. The brocade mounting with wear and fraying. The reverse with traces of wear, creasing, and soiling. Presenting beautifully. In 1878, the leading textile firm Nishimura Sozaemon, now known as Chiso, developed the yuzen-birodo technique. Works were exhibited at the Seventh Kyoto Exposition that year, where the firm received an award. The thick fluffy characteristic of velvet is produced by weaving in a metal rod so as to form loops (wana) and cutting the top of the loops to create a pile, which is then brushed. The rod is woven into the structure by hand. The pile loops are cut by hand and then the metal wires are removed. The process requires a lot of labor-intensive work. The precise cutting would achieve a chiaroscuro three-dimensional effect. Although these textiles look like paintings at first, they have a distinctive feel that is quite unique. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related yuzen-dyed cut velvet wall hanging depicting the bodhisattva Fugen with two rakan, by Shuson, dated to the late 19 th century, 207 x 141 cm, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 14 May 2015, lot 219, sold for GBP 2,250 or approx. EUR 3,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.