Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, Dahlias and Roosters, circa 1920

About the Item

Tanaka Tessen (b.1890) Dahlias and Roosters Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments and ink on silk. Dimensions (framed): H. 159 cm x W. 97 cm x D. 2.5 cm (62.5” x 38” x 1”) An ornate and complex composition in which the artist explores almost the entire painting surface. The coloration is bold and evocative and the tinted silk ground recreates the warm golden glow of sunset. Soft, luminous brushwork details the black feathers of the roosters, which seem to cloud and blur in counterpoint to the sharper points of the eyes and beaks. Their brilliant red combs balance the composition, echoing the rich burgundy hues of the dahlias; the flowers exquisite and lifelike. Dahlias were an exotic subject favored by painters of the Taisho era. The painting belongs to the school of Kyoto Nihonga, exemplifying the principles of decorative elegance and consumate brush technique with which it was intimately associated. Painters of the time relied on the Shijo school method, basing the forms of the composition from life sketches. Sometimes they were then integrated with elements derived from Chinese bird and flower paintings from the Ming period and even with aspects of French post-Impressionism. The artist here uses the varied hues of green pigment to simulate the texture and depth of oil painting. This blend of reality and decorativeness creates an unnatural, dreamlike impression which captures the progressive, creative spirit of the Taisho era (1912-1926), which was reined in with the increasing austerity of the early Showa era. The silk painting is mounted on a panel, the frame of roiro mirror-polished, black lacquer. Conservation, mounting and framing was carried out in Kyoto utilizing traditional techniques and craftsmen. Tanaka Tessen was born in Niigata prefecture in 1890. He studied painting under Takeuchi Seiho and Hashimoto Kansetsu and was based in Kyoto.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 62.5 in (158.75 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Style:
    Taisho (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1920
  • Condition:
    Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. The painting has recently been conserved and re-framed in Kyoto utilizing traditional techniques and craftsmen.
  • Seller Location:
    Kyoto, JP
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2472316322712
More From This SellerView All
  • Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, Willow and Sparrows, circa 1920 Taisho era
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Anonymous Summer willow and sparrows Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments, mica, gold, ink and gofun on silk Dimensions (framed): H. 98 cm x W. 135 cm x D...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Wood, Silk

  • Japanese Painting, Hanging Scroll, Circa 1930, Amaranth and Rooster
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Amaranth and Rooster Artist unknown Hanging scroll, ink, mineral pigment and gofun on silk. Painting inscription: Tojo ?? Painting seal: Tojo ?? circa 1930 Dimensions: Scroll:...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Silk

  • Japanese Framed Silk Painting, Turtledoves and Peaches, Taisho Era, circa 1920
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Nakamura Daizaburo Turtledoves in a Peach Tree Taisho period, circa 1920 Framed painting. Mineral pigments, ink and gofun on silk Signed: Daizaburo Dimensions (framed)...
    Category

    Vintage 1910s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Wood, Silk

  • Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, 17th Century Falcon by Mitani Toshuku
    By Mitani Toshuku
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654) “Falcon” Wall panel, ink and light color on paper. Upper seal: Mitani Lower seal: Toshuku Dimensions: Each 118.5 cm x 51 cm x 2 cm (46.5” x 20” x .75”) Individual falcon paintings by Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654), an early artist of the Unkoku School. Founded by Unkoku Togan (1547–1618), a master of the Momoyama period, the Unkoku school enjoyed long lasting patronage in southern Japan. Togan was a retainer of the Mori family in present day Yamaguchi prefecture. Members of the school considered themselves to be in the artistic lineage of Sesshu Toyo...
    Category

    Antique Early 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Wood, Paper

  • Early 20th Century Japanese Framed Painting, White Peacocks on Silk and Gold
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Kasahara Seiken White peacocks, circa 1916 Framed painting. Ink, color and gofun on silk. A Taisho period Japanese nihonga painting depicting a pair of white peacocks re...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Gold Leaf

  • Japanese Painting, Hanging Scroll, 'Playful Cat' by Hirose Toho, 1920s Taisho
    By Hirose Toho
    Located in Kyoto, JP
    Playful Cat Hirose Toho (1875-1930) Hanging scroll, ink, mineral pigments and gofun on silk. Painting inscription: Toho Sha Painting seals: Upper - Hirose Hitoshi Lo...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Silk

You May Also Like
  • Japanese Bijin-ga Painting of Woman in Period Kimono, Taisho Period, circa 1920
    Located in Prahran, Victoria
    Rare Japanese Taisho period Bijin-ga style painting of a beautiful woman in period kimono holding a fan, circa 1920. Bijin-ga is a Japanese term used to describe paintings or pict...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Silk

  • Japanese Single Panel Painting Formal Abstraction
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Acrylic and gouache on paper, mounted on board and framed, by Minamisawa Hiroshi. Bearing a label from the Avant-garde Kodo Art Group Exhibition 1955.
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Japanese Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Acrylic, Paper

  • Six Panel Japanese Screen: Winter Scene of Pine, Plum, and Bamboo
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Japanese Six Panel Screen: Winter Scene of Pine, Plum, and Bamboo Under Crescent Moon. Pine, plum and bamboo are known as the three friends of winter, because they all thrive and bl...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Paper, Wood

  • Japanese Two-Panel Screen Pink and White Magnolias in Early Bloom
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Japanese two-panel screen: Pink and white magnolias in early bloom, Taisho period (1912-1926) painting of Japanese magnolia tree branches as the flowers...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Silk, Wood, Paper

  • Japanese Two Panel Screen: Mountains in the Mist
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Chinese School landscape ink painting on gilded silk by Yukimatsu Shunpo, signed and dated 1924. Yukimatsu Shunpo was born in Oita in 1897 and studied under Himejima Chikugai in Osak...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Silk

  • Japanese Two-Panel Screen Temples Through Misty Forest
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Japanese two-panel screen: Temples Through Misty Forest. Chinese School landscape ink painting on gilded silk by Yukimatsu Shunpo, signed and dated 1924. Yukimatsu Shunpo was born in...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens

    Materials

    Wood, Silk

Recently Viewed

View All