By Mori Tetsuzan (1775-1841), signed Tetsuzan and sealed Shushin
Japan, early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Painted with ink and watercolors on paper and mounted as a hanging scroll with a silk brocade frame and bone roller ends (jiku), depicting a tiger standing foursquare with the head turned to one side and the tail swept to the other, with greenish-yellow eyes and black-striped orange fur. Signed to the lower left TETSUZAN with a seal reading Shushin.

SIZE 113 x 51 cm (image) and 192.5 x 72 cm (incl. mounting)

Condition: Good condition with some wear, minor creasing, few minuscule losses to watercolors, minor soiling.
Provenance: Canadian private collection.

Mori Tetsuzan was by birth the son of Mori Sosen’s brother Shuho (1736-1823), but was adopted by Sosen to carry on his artistic line. At first, he studied with Shuho and Sosen, but he seems to have become a pupil of Maruyama Okyo – probably at Sosen’s urging – while still in his teens.

With an inscribed wood storage box: 猛虎之図、徹山 Moko no zu, Tetsuzan [Painting of a fierce tiger, Tetsuzan].

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related but slightly larger painting of a tiger by the same artist at Waddington’s, 30 November 2015, Toronto, lot 18 (sold for 15,000 CAD, approx. 10,597 EUR). Also compare to a closely related painting of a tiger by Maruyama Okyo (Mori Tesuzan's master) sold at Christie's, The Art of Japan, 5 December 2017, London, lot 102 (sold for 175,000 GBP).