A Painting of a Zen Ox by Daiko, Sogen 大綱 宗彦 (1772 - 1860)

Signed: 82-year-old Daiko Date: 1853 Size: 118 x 54.8 cms (mounting) 30.4 x 42.6 cms (painting)

46 x 22 inch (mounting) 12 x 17 inch (painting) Technique: sumi on paper Condition: Chûberi of striped brown silk, top and bottom of crushed moss-green paper; beige & grey ichimonji, black lacquer rollers, fitted wooden box. Faint vertical rolling crease in the painting, some superficial damage to the crushed paper plus some other minor condition issues, but good overall condition; the mounting is certainly 19th century and is possibly the original mounting.

Literature: Stephen Addiss translated the poem: ''After pulling a, Heavy load for years, Now is the time to rest the body, Take it easy, And enjoy a state of grace." His comment: "This is a kind of self-portrait of Daiko. After years of pulling heavy loads—serving as abbot of Daitoku-ji, training hundreds of monks, instructing countless lay followers, seeing to this and that temple business—Daiko is now out to pasture, resting in peace and quiet , and thankful for the many blessings received in a long and eventful life.