Lot Essay
Junkichi Mayuyama (1913-1999) was the owner of the prominent art gallery in Tokyo, Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. His father Matsutaro Mayuyama (1882-1935) started the business with Beijing at the age of 22. The name gradually became well-known after Junkichi succeeded as head of the gallery in the middle of 20th century. The piece by Dong Qichang (Lot 853) was given to him by a private collector in Japan for appraisal. He later wrote a letter to the client to express the importance of such a precious Chinese calligraphy, which should be safe-kept and handled with care.