Yosa Buson | Letter
Autograph letter by Yosa Buson (1716-1783) to Ikeno Taiga (1723-1776).
Mark Morris wrote "(...) we have no evidence of Buson's correspondence with fellow artists. He had once collaborated on a set of small paintings with his famous contemporary Ikeno Taiga. But that had been business. A sense of professional rivalry and a considerable reserve of pride made casual contacts with competitors something Buson seems to have avoided." (Mark Morris: Group Portrait with Artist, Yosa Buson and his Patrons, in: C. Andrew Gerstle, Ed.: 18th century Japan. Culture and society, 1989, p. 89). The present letter may show two things. Buson did write letters to fellow artists and the 1771 collaboration may have been more than business.
Compare to a similar letter in the Worcester Art Museum:
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Ink on paper
24.5 x 70.5 cm (9½ 27¾ in.)
Mounting 96 x 76 cm (37¾ x 30 in.)
Wooden box with inscription