Lot 66: Asami Shoei (Matsue) (1886-1969)

Asami Shoei (Matsue) (1886-1969)
Hosokawa Garasha (Gracia)
Ink, color and gold on silk; framed and glazed
84¾ x 44¾in. (215 x 113.5cm.)
Previously sold in these Rooms, 22 September 2005, lot 196

11th Teiten, 1930

Kyoto City Museum of Art, "Kaiso no jojobi: Meiji, Taisho, Showa Nihonga hizo meisakuten - Meguro Gajoen Korekushon" (Reminiscences of lyrical beauty: Exhibition of treasured masterpieces of Japanese-style painting of the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods--The Meguro Gajoen Museum collection), 1983.11.30--12.10

Sogo Museum, Yokohama, "Meguro Gajoen korekushon: Showa shoki no Nihonga meihinten - Bijin to kacho" (The Meguro Gajoen collection: Masterpieces of modern Japanese-style painting of the early Showa period - Beauties, birds and flowers), 1988.1.3--17

Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art, Tokyo, "Meguro Gajoen bijutsukan kaikan kinenten: Yomigaeru Meguro Gajoen korekushon/The Opening Exhibition of the Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art: The Restorable Collections of Meguro Gajoen," 1991.11.13--12.29

Karatsu City Modern Library Art Hall (Karatsu shi kindai toshokan bijutsu horu), "Meguro Gajoen bijutsukan korekushon ni yoru: Kindai Nihonga ni miru bijinga" (Modern Japanese-style beauty paintings from the collection of the Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art), 1999.11.14--12.13

Hosokawa Rikizo Collection
Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art, Tokyo

PUBLISHED:
Nittenshi hensan iinkai (Nittenshi ed. staff), ed., Teiten hen 4 (Teiten, vol. 4), vol. 9 of Nittenshi (History of the Nitten [Japan Art Exhibition]) (Tokyo: Korinsha, 1983)), p. 303, no. 11.

Art One Co., Ltd., ed., Kaiso no jojobi: Meiji, Taisho, Showa Nihonga hizo meisakuten--Meguro Gajoen korekushon (Reminiscences of lyrical beauty: Exhibition of treasured masterpieces of Japanese-style painting of the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods--The Meguro Gajoen collection) (Tokyo: Art One Co., Ltd., 1983), pl. 23.

_____, Meguro Gajoen korekushon: Showa shoki no Nihonga meihinten - Bijin to kacho (The Meguro Gajoen collection: Masterpieces of modern Japanese-style painting of the early Showa period--Beauties, birds and flowers) (Yokohama: Sogo Museum; Tokyo: Nihon keizai shinbunsha, 1988), pl. 13.

Hosono Masanobu et al., Kindai no bijinga: Meguro Gajoen Korekushon/Paintings of Japanese Beauties at the Turn of the Century (Kyoto: Kyoto shoin, 1988), pl. 45.

Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art, ed., Meguro Gajoen bijutsukan kaikan kinenten: Yomigaeru Meguro Gajoen korekushon/The Opening Exhibition of Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art: The Restorable Collections of Meguro Gajoen (Tokyo: Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art, 1991), pl. 19.

Karatsu City Modern Library, ed., Meguro gajoen bijutsukan korekushon ni yoru: Kindai Nihonga ni miru bijinga (Modern Japanese-style beauty paintings from the collection of the Meguro Gajoen Museum of Art) (Karatsu: Karatsu City Modern Library, 1999), pl. 2.

Hosokawa Gracia (1563-1600) was a Christian convert of the late sixteenth century who is remembered as a virtuous and courageous samurai wife. In 1578 she married Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563-1646) and in 1587, while living in Osaka, she became a fervent Christian, receiving the baptismal name Gracia. She is often mentioned in the letters of contemporary Jesuits. Her husband set off to fight for Tokugawa Ieyasu after the death of Hideyoshi in 1598 and left instructions that his retainers should put his wife to death rather than allow her to fall into the hands of the enemy. That is in fact what happened; when threatened by the enemy, the senior retainer of the Hosokawa family killed Gracia and then committed suicide himself.

Matsue was born in Tokyo and first studied under Terasaki Kogyo (1866-1919), then Matsuoka Eikyu (1881-1938). He won a prize when he entered the 7th Teiten exhibition in 1926 and continued to submit his work to Teiten exhibitions. He frequently painted historical figures in classical Yamato-e style using vivid colors.