Lot 321: Japanese artist 蕭伯 Soga Shohaku (1730-1781), “Daoist Immortal Han Xiangzi” hanging scroll

Artist: Soga Shohaku: 1730-1781; Born in Mie. Learned from Takada Keiho; Translation of 2 characters on the scroll: The artist’s signature - 蕭伯 Sho haku; This is a portrait of one of Chinese Immortals, Han Xiangzi. Han Xiangzi, courtesy name Qingfu or Beizhu, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. He studied Taoist magical arts under the tutelage of Lü Dongbin, another of the Eight Immortals. Han Xiangzi is often depicted carrying a dizi (Chinese flute), so he is also regarded as the patron deity of flutists. He is also believed to be the composer of the Taoist musical piece Tian Hua Yin (天花引). It is not known if Han Xiangzi existed historically. However, he is believed to be Han Xiang, a grandnephew of Han Yu, a prominent politician, poet and Confucian scholar who lived in the Tang dynasty. There are at least three different accounts about Han Xiang and Han Yu's grandnephew. Primary Material: Paper; Technique: Hand-painted; Roller Ends: Bone; Condition: Refer to all pictures (Stain, Wrinkle, Damage); Soga Shōhaku (曾我蕭白) (1730–1781) was a Japanese painter of the Edo period. Shōhaku distinguished himself from his contemporaries by preferring the brush style of the Muromachi period, an aesthetic that was already passé 150 years before his birth. Shōhaku's birth name was Miura Sakonjirō. His family was wealthy, but all of his immediate family members died before he reached the age of 18. As a young man, he was a student of Takada Keiho of the prominent Kanō School, which drew upon Chinese techniques and subject matters. His disillusionment with the school led him to appreciate the works of Muromachi era painter Soga Jasoku. He began to use the earlier style of brushstroke, painting mostly monochromes, despite the fact it had become unfashionable.