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Lot Essay
Pine Trees in Moonlight is a fairly recent discovery. Although it has no signature or seal, it is obviously closely related to the famous National Treasure screens of Pine Trees by Hasegawa Tohaku (1539-1610) in the Tokyo National Museum. Both works feature four clusters of pines arranged in almost identical groupings. There are some subtle differences, however. Most striking is the addition of a moon in the pair of screens shown here. Gold wash suggests moonlight, and ink was applied to the back of the paper to darken the surface and enhance the contemplative, nocturnal mood.
According to Miyata Ayako, writing in a recent issue of Kokka, Tohaku injured his right hand in 1604, leaving his immediate followers in a difficult position. Over the course of the following decade, Hasegawa Sotaku (d. 1611) and Hasegawa Toshu (d. 1613) studied Tohaku's oeuvre and introduced new motifs into paintings in his style. Pine Trees in Moonlight is thought to date from that period. No one doubts that it was painted during Tohaku's lifetime either by a close student working under his supervision or by the master himself.
According to Miyata Ayako, writing in a recent issue of Kokka, Tohaku injured his right hand in 1604, leaving his immediate followers in a difficult position. Over the course of the following decade, Hasegawa Sotaku (d. 1611) and Hasegawa Toshu (d. 1613) studied Tohaku's oeuvre and introduced new motifs into paintings in his style. Pine Trees in Moonlight is thought to date from that period. No one doubts that it was painted during Tohaku's lifetime either by a close student working under his supervision or by the master himself.