Anonymous (13th Century)

The Mori family collection.
The Zenda family collection.

Bi No Bi, Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha, Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Honten, August 31 to September 12, 1967, cat. #35
Sogen no Bijutsu, Osaka Municipal Museum, October 15 to November 12, 1978, cat. #9
Searching For The Treasures Of Muromachi Shogun Family, Tokugawa Museum, October 4 to November 9, 2008, cat. #11

Suiboku Bijutsu Taikei Vol 2, Ri'to Ba'en Ka'kei, Tokyo: Kodansha, 1974, pl. 52
Catalogue of Southern Song Paintings-Elegant and Noble in Soul, Tokyo: Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, 2004, pl. 34
Searching For The Treasures Of Muromachi Shogun Family, Nagoya: Tokugawa Museum, 2008, cat. #11, p. 210
The Complete Collection Of Song Dynasty Paintings, Volume 7, #3, Zhejiang: Zhejiang University Press, 2010, pp. 258, 259, 317

-silk has significantly darkened due to age -signs of restoration for silk and ink loss, few patches of foxing
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Note:


The Japanese have had a longstanding appreciation for traditional Chinese works of art, and have collected Chinese calligraphies and paintings since the Tang and Song dynasties. Many excellent works are preserved in collections of Japanese aristocratic families and temples. They have always taken meticulous care of Chinese calligraphies and paintings, attending closely to mounting and containers, and thus most of the works in Japan have survived in excellent condition. The Classical Calligraphy and Painting Research Center at Zhejiang University comments on this lot (see Songhua quanji, vol. 7, book 3, illustration no. 166) as follows:  The bottom right corner of this painting bears an impression of a gourd-shaped relief seal reading zenna (albeit with some damage), which likely belonged to Zenna, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa's adviser in collecting and connoisseurship. Moreover, this painting had appeared in Japan in the 17th century at the latest.  An inscription on the containing box names Mi Youren as the painter. Although landscapes in the Mi family style are rare and yet to be conclusively studied, this painting is clearly disparate in style from surviving Mi-attributed landscapes and also different from those recorded in texts. Here a pair of pine trees stand elegantly on a knoll. A traveler on foot has just entered the painting from the bottom right and is about to cross the bridge. Old trees are vaguely visible on the precipitous peaks in the distance. The composition and brush manner seen in this painting, as well as the overall mood and feeling achieved, belong firmly to the reduced landscape mode of the Song dynasty. On the other hand, the linear brushwork and texturing strokes show some deficiencies. It is reasonable to date it to the transitional period between Song and Yuan in the 13th century.