Object data
nishikie, with metallic pigments and blindprinting
height 205 mm × width 180 mm
Ryûryûkyo Shinsai
An Incense Burner
Japan, Japan, Japan, c. 1820
Provenance
…; purchased from the dealer C.P.J. van der Peet Japanese Prints, Amsterdam, by J.H.W. Goslings (1943-2011), Epse, near Deventer, 1986;1 by whom donated to the museum, 1991
Object number: RP-P-1991-641
Credit line: Gift of J.H.W. Goslings, Epse
Copyright: Public domain
The artist
Ryuryukyo Shinsai (n.d., but often given as 1764?-1820; the latter date is definitely incorrect as his last known designs were issued in 1825) is said to have first been follower of Tawaraya Sori, and later of Katsushika Hokusai, who gave him the art-name Shinsai in 1800. His personal name was Masayuki. He was one of the most prolific designers of surimono in the early 19th century and thoroughly explored the possibilities of issuing works in titled series.
Entry
A large incense burner with a cloth around it decorated with peonies. In the foreground a spray of plum.
Incense burners such as this were used for perfuming clothes.
Two poems by Rakuseian [Taijin], and Jakusoan.
The poet Rakuseian was also involved in selecting the poems for the album Kyoka Poems on the Portraits of the Heroes of the Suikoden, Kyoka Suikogadenshu, issued in 1829.2
Issued by the poets
Signature reading: Shinsai
Literature
M. Forrer, Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Leiden 2013, no. 361
Citation
M. Forrer, 2013, 'Ryûryûkyo Shinsai, An Incense Burner, Japan, c. 1820', in Surimono from the Goslings Collection in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.432523
(accessed 23 November 2024 18:34:31).