A kingfisher (poetically known in Japanese as the Jade Bird), its brilliant plumage contrasting with the dried lotus leaves upon which it is perched, alights effortlessly balanced on this ink and light color painting by Ikeda Keisen enclosed in an old wooden box. It is bordered in green silk patterned with golden ripples, with an ichimonji patterned with minows reflecting both the seasonal connotations and theme of the painting. It is 46.5 x 210 cm (18-1/2 x 82-1/2 inches). The scroll hangs beautifully, there is light scattered foxing typical of the age.
Ikeda Keisen (1863-1931) was born the son of Ikeda Unsho. He studied and worked in Kyoto, initially under the tutelage of his father in the Nanga style. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting, and was frequently exhibited with the Bunten from it’s inception. He later became a member of the Jiyu Gakkai (Free painters association) and helped to establish the Nihon Nanga-In Painters Academy.
