Japan, 18^th century. Ink and watercolor on silk. Mounted as a hanging scroll, with a silk brocade coated paper frame and wooden handles. The free brushwork and playful composition depicting two recumbent puppies sitting under a tree.

Inscriptions: To the bottom-left, signed ‘Rosetsu.’ One seal, ‘Gyo’ 魚. The tomobako (storage box) with inscriptions, to the cover, inscribed ‘Rosetsu, Two Puppies,’ a collector’s label to one side ‘Rosetsu komainu-ko (hakushi)’ 蘆雪狛子 (‘Puppies by Rosetsu’), the other side 第三一七號、蘆雪、柿紅葉狛 (‘Number 317, Rosetsu, Persimmon with red autumn leaves and puppies’).

Provenance: Collection of Baron Masuda Takashi, Tokyo, Japan, by repute. Louis Pappas Works of Art, San Francisco, 8 August 1969. The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Baron Masuda Takashi (1848-1938) was a Japanese industrialist, investor, and art collector. He was a prominent entrepreneur in Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan, responsible for transforming Mitsui into a zaibatsu through the creation of a general trading company, Mitsui Bussan. Masuda's collection was a legend during his lifetime but was sold by his son after Masuda's death in 1938. Most of the collection is said to have been purchased at that time by Tokyo art dealer Setsu Inosuke. Louis Pappas (1926 - 2018) was an important art dealer in San Francisco, United States. James and Marilynn Alsdorf got married in 1952 and built a life that was centered on art, philanthropy and family. Studying and collecting art was their all-consuming passion, and it took them all over the world. Their spirit of adventure was unique; they went places that few collectors at the time were curious and confident enough to explore. As their interests diversified, so did their collection. ‘They were not strategic in their collecting,’ recalls Bridget Alsdorf, the couple’s granddaughter. ‘They were guided by what fascinated them and gave them pleasure, by knowledge and instinct. They were an incredible team.’ As well as being great collectors, the Alsdorfs were loyal supporters of museums and cultural institutions across Chicago and the wider United States, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago. James Alsdorf served as Chairman of the AIC from 1975 to 1978, and Marilynn sat on various committees. In 1967, the Alsdorfs joined other prominent Chicago collectors, including, Edwin and Lindy Bergman and Robert and Beatrice Mayer, in founding the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, an institution to which they would provide extensive financial and personal leadership. After James’s passing in 1990, Marilynn, who was known as ‘the queen of the Chicago arts community’, continued to build upon her husband’s legacy in art and philanthropy, making a transformative bequest to the AIC in 1997, and funding a curatorial position in Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the AIC in 2006.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear. The silk brocade mounting in excellent condition with expected wear.

Dimensions: Image size 118.8 x 46 cm, Size incl. mounting 211 x 58.5 cm

With an inscribed tomobako storage box. (2)

Following the style of his early teacher Maruyama Ōkyo, especially his naturalistic depiction of animals, birds, and fish, Rosetsu established a reputation as an unrestrained and imaginative painter.

Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799) was an 18^th-century Japanese painter of the Maruyama School, known for his versatile style. He was born to the family of a low-ranking samurai. He studied with Maruyama Ōkyo in Kyoto. Rosetsu's early period works are in the style of Maruyama Ōkyo, although critics agree that the pupil's skill quickly surpassed his master's. Finally, they had a falling out and Rosetsu left the school. After the break, he worked under the patronage of the feudal lord of Yodo and accepted commissions at several temples. His works are kept in many museums worldwide, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and many more.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related painting by Nagasaw Rosetsu in The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA, accession no. 35.74.