Rose mallow

Style of Ogata Kenzan 尾形 乾山 (1663-1743) · Probably 19th century

This small painting came from a group of thirty-seven "plant studies" attributed to Kenzan and formerly owned by the French printer Charles Gillot (1853-1903), whose large collection of Japanese art also included Kenzan pottery. The thick, clay-impregnated paper used for this painting suggests that it and the other "studies" were cut out of a large, flat painting such as a screen or sliding-door panel, which had become too damaged to be repaired.