Kishi Ganku (1756-1838), Tiger and a cub. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Lot sold 87,500 USD. Photo Sotheby's

ink and color on silk, framed, signed Echizen no Kani Ganka, 64 in. by 34 in., 162.6 cm by 86.4 cm.

Provenance: Christie's New York, 28th March 2006, lot 174.

Bibliography: Bunjinga kenkyukai, ed., Tora hyakutai (One hundred figures of tigers), Tokyo: Nichibo shuppansha, 1985, p. 1.

Notes: Ganku was from Kanazawa (present Ishikawa prefecture) and apprenticed in a textile shop as a teenager. He was said to have been drawing realistic animals and birds from the age of four. It is not clear how he learned painting in Kanazawa but it is possible that he studied with Mori Ransai (1740-1801) of the Shen Quan (1682-1760) school.  Shen Quan (whose Japanese name was Nanpin) was a Qing dynasty Chinese painter who influenced many Japanese painters with his realistic Western style drawings.

Later, he went to Kyoto to become a professional painter and studied the paintings of many ancient Chinese masters including Li Sixun (651-716). It is also possible that he had some contact with Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795).

He is known for his forceful, powerful tiger paintings. He studied the skulls of tigers and drew them from several different angles and went as far as measuring the parts of bones and counting the number of tiger teeth.

Sotheby's. Saturday at Sotheby's: Asian Art, New York, 19 sept. 2015