87 - HOKUSAI (1760–1849)
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Estimate €5,000 - €7,000

Description

HOKUSAI (1760–1849) TWO DRAWINGS ON A SINGLE SHEET: A Chinese warrior subduing three tigers; two horsemen at a gallop. Sumi ink on paper, with highlights in red and brown ink in the drawing on the left. Dated 1820–1825 and 1834–1835 respectively. Seal of the collector Hayashi Tadamasa in the lower right-hand corner. DIM. (TOTAL) 27.2 × 38.8 CM (10 11/16 × 15 1/4 IN.) (Waterstains and soiling; slight wear to the edges). Published separately in: *Orientations*, ill. 9, p. 90 and ill. 11, p. 91. *BAFJ*, ill. 11, p. 38 and ill. 14, pp. 39–40. NOTE Let us once again give the floor to Bernard Rousseau, first of all regarding the Chinese warrior: “Stylistically datable to around 1820–1825, this drawing—which was never intended for publication—is perfectly representative of Hokusai’s work at that time: a naturally precise line, a interplay between fine lines for the face and lines of varying thickness for the clothing, inimitable hair, and highlights of pink”. This commentary is reminiscent of that for the previous drawing, depicting Masayoshi and the white monkey. Indeed, the two drawings are similar despite the twenty-year gap between them. But did Bernard Rousseau not say, when describing the drawing featuring Masayoshi, that it embodied all the characteristics that would become Hokusai’s trademark for the next thirty years? Twenty years on, this is certainly the case. It is also worth noting that the Chinese warrior has that characteristic facial appearance (double nostrils, eye shape and expression) which was dubbed ‘Homo-hokusaïensis’, and which Bernard Rousseau believed first appeared in the work *Beibei Kyôdan*, published in 1815, and in the illustration featured in *Tenmoku Hôin*, the *shita-e* of which forms part of lot 81 (also published in *Orientations* and *BAFJ*). As for the sketch depicting the galloping horsemen, Bernard Rousseau dates it to a later period, around 1834–1835. He considers this sketch to be a good example of Hokusai’s style at that time. He writes: “Never seen before in Hokusai’s work, this line surprises with its thickness, its clumsiness and, above all, that strange sensation that it might have been drawn by someone using their left hand.” (BAFJ, p. 39) However, Bernard Rousseau has observed that in Hokusai’s stylistic evolution over the course of his life, three periods are marked by an abrupt change: around 1827–1828, around 1834–1835 and in 1848–1849. Whilst the latter is likely to have been due to old age, the first two are thought to have been caused by a health problem. (BAFJ, p. 31). The stroke that struck Hokusai around 1827–1828 is well documented. It is thought to have caused partial paralysis and tremors in his right hand, which took about a year to subside, following self-medication that appears to have been effective. Bernard Rousseau notes that around this time, Hokusai’s style and working method changed. He observes a further abrupt change whilst Hokusai was working on the three volumes of the Fugaku hyakkei (One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji) in 1834. He contrasts drawings displaying great mastery with the sudden appearance of drawings featuring hesitant lines and the presence of a different hand. According to Bernard Rousseau, this difference can only be explained by a further stroke, which the artist is said to have kept secret, although it has been reported that Hokusai was bedridden during the famine (which began around 1833 and peaked around 1836). (see Machotka, Ewa, *Visual Genesis of Japanese Identity: Hokusai’s Hyakunin isshu*, pp. 66–67) Bernard Rousseau writes: “In fact, Hokusai gives the impression of having been able to use this misfortune to make his prints even more powerful, by simplifying them, or even stylising them. A good example of Hokusai’s style during this period can be found in the drawing ‘Two Horsemen’…” (BAFJ, p. 39)

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About the sale THE BERNARD ROUSSEAU COLLECTION – DRAWINGS BY HOKUSAI, PAINTINGS FROM JAPAN AND CHINA

Auction location

Auction time 10/22/2026 at 3:30 PM

Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House

87 - HOKUSAI (1760–1849) See original version (French)

87 - HOKUSAI (1760–1849)
See original version (French)