Lot Essay
Cf. Kobe City Museum of Namban Art Vol. II, pl. 44 an 45 for two similar paintings of Dutch ships, respectively signed Ishizaki Gensho and Araki Genkei.
The English translation of the inscription on the kakemono is 'To live long and to be happy is the greatest joy on Earth'. The writer seems to have some knowledge of Japanese and instead of writing the month in Dutch, Juli, he used the Japanese word Shichigatsu [Seventh month], spelt slightly different from the Hepburn system which, of course, was not in use then.
The construction of the fan-shaped island of Deshima was completed in 1636. It was originally intended for the Portuguese but, after Tokugawa government banned them, as well as the Spanish, from entering Japan, the Dutch installed themselves on the island in 1641. The southern side, outer side, of the islet was 233 metres long and the northern side, near to the City of Nagasaki, was 191 metres long. The western and eastern sides were both 70 metres long.
The English translation of the inscription on the kakemono is 'To live long and to be happy is the greatest joy on Earth'. The writer seems to have some knowledge of Japanese and instead of writing the month in Dutch, Juli, he used the Japanese word Shichigatsu [Seventh month], spelt slightly different from the Hepburn system which, of course, was not in use then.
The construction of the fan-shaped island of Deshima was completed in 1636. It was originally intended for the Portuguese but, after Tokugawa government banned them, as well as the Spanish, from entering Japan, the Dutch installed themselves on the island in 1641. The southern side, outer side, of the islet was 233 metres long and the northern side, near to the City of Nagasaki, was 191 metres long. The western and eastern sides were both 70 metres long.