Sketch of the Chinese immortal Dongfang Shuo (Tobosaku)

円山応挙筆  下絵「東方朔」 一幅  紙本墨画淡彩  江戸時代   18世紀

The white deer is a symbol of longevity throughout East Asia. Standing beside the deer in this picture is a Chinese immortal, Dongfang Shuo (Japanese: Tobosaku). Smiling, the sage holds up a large speckled peach—a symbol of immortality—that he has stolen from the Queen Mother of the West.

At the left side, an inscription tells us that this is the authentic work of a celebrated master painter, Maruyama Okyo (the writer's grandfather). This may have been a preparatory sketch for a later, finished painting; it was quickly brushed on thin paper and its subject identified on the back, creating the effect of mirror writing visible at the top left corner.