Seven Lucky Gods Shunga Hanging Scroll, Meiji Era Brush Painting of Benzaiten and Her Companions
Seven Lucky Gods Shunga Hanging Scroll, Meiji Era Brush Painting of Benzaiten and Her Companions
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- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
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- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
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A guide for this piece: about $127, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Character
- Ornate 7.6 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
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Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Fortune Gone Merry
The gods of luck abandon their dignity entirely: tall-headed Fukurokuju, hooded Daikoku, helmeted Bishamon and bearded Jurojin crowd around Benzaiten while Hotei laughs from the edge. It is the comic side of shunga at full volume, with the gods of plenty given every abundance at once.
Best for: Collectors of shunga painting and comic images of the Seven Lucky Gods
Condition notes
Slight soiling and creasing consistent with age; no conspicuous damage described. The small coins seen in the photographs were placed for discretion and are not part of the work.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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A Meiji era hanging scroll in which the Seven Lucky Gods abandon all dignity, painted in ink and soft colour with a comic, generous hand.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
The Shichifukujin, the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, sail into the New Year on their treasure ship bringing wealth, long life and plenty. In shunga they were often shown at their least solemn, and this painting belongs to that tradition of warai-e, laughing pictures, in which the gods of abundance are granted every abundance at once.
Benzaiten, the only goddess among them, lies at the heart of the composition with her ribbons streaming, while her companions crowd in: tall-headed Fukurokuju, Daikoku in his hood, Bishamon in his helmet, white-bearded Jurojin, and Hotei grinning from the edge. Their robes are laid in broad washes of grey, lit by vermilion linings and a robe of blue patterned with crests. The faces are drawn with real affection, every god laughing.
The painting is mounted as a kakejiku in grey brocade woven with roundels, with buff paper borders and dark roller ends. The small coins seen on the painting were set there by the photographer for discretion and are not part of the work.
Details
- Subject: The Seven Lucky Gods with Benzaiten
- Genre: Shunga, warai-e (comic picture)
- Artist: Unsigned; unrecorded
- Period: Meiji era (1868 to 1912), as described
- Medium: Ink and colour on paper
- Format: Kakejiku, hanging scroll
- Painting: About 37 x 43 cm (14.6 x 16.9 in)
- Whole mount: About 116 x 55 cm (45.7 x 21.7 in)
- Mount: Grey brocade with roundels; dark roller ends
- Box: None shown
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in).
Condition
- Slight soiling and creasing consistent with age.
- No conspicuous damage described.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as a hand-painted scroll described as Meiji era work; it is unsigned, and the date is given as described rather than independently certified. Hang away from direct sun and damp, and roll loosely when stored.
Delivery from Japan
The scroll travels rolled, as scrolls are meant to, wrapped in tissue within a rigid carton, insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Kindred works are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and in our archive of prints and classical texts.
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