Sesshū study in a panorama by Kano Insen'in 狩野伊川院 | 1775-1828 with calligraphy by Kamo Suetaka 加茂季鷹 | 1754-1841

Kanō Isen'in is one of the last great Kanō masters. The Kanō school was the leading art institution in Japan since the 15th century - if a young talented painter wanted to learn the trade thoroughly, he went to a Kanō master. There were authoritative Kanō studios in all major centers in Japan. Their directors were the top artists of the time. Kanō Isen'in was the 7th director of the Kobikichō studio in Edo (Tokyo), which carried out the orders of the country's highest political leaders.

The lasting success of the Kanō school was based on clear artistic guidelines. There were excellent treatments of motifs that had to be studied and reproduced in detail by all the workers in a studio. The institution also specifically adopted different styles that had to be accessible. One of these styles was Zen painting in the style of Sesshū (1420-1506). They were not content with a rough study, but only with meticulous copying. Even the greatest masters did not consider it a shame to study this greatest of all ink artists. Isen'in did not take credit for his studies. He even copied Sesshū's signature because he considered it an integral part of the painting, which he admired without limits.

This object is particularly interesting because it combines the painting in the precious medallion, slightly accentuated with gold, with the writings of one of the greatest calligraphers of the time, a priest of the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto, who is even 20 years older than the painter.

The mount is old; the brown frame shows a subtle turtle motif, which matches the two strips above and below the image (the so-called ichimonji) with the Chinese symbol for luck, since turtles are symbols of congratulations.