Reeds and Duck

The style of this painting with its fluid brushstrokes and abbreviated forms was developed during the eighteenth century by Ito Jakuchu. He was born into a family of grocers in Kyoto. While he would inherit the grocery business, his talent for painting emerged early. The smooth and fluid lines that define the body of this duck appear in many of Jakuchu’s works, giving them a dynamic and modern feel that found wide appeal among his patrons.

This painting may have been made as a copy or homage to Jakuchu with his seal being applied at a later date.