Tiger-Cat

Item Details

1800s

See images. Wear and tear. Repairs and restorations.

Offered here is an antique Japanese hanging scroll (kakemono) featuring a tiger (often referred to as a neko-tora or "cat-tiger") crouching beside a stalk of bamboo. The two seals are for a yet-unidentified artist.

Size: 21.5 x 54 inches.

Condition: See images. Surface abrasions, marginal tears and paper restorations.

The subject is a stylized tiger with large, expressive, round eyes and a curled, patterned tail, painted in black and gray ink. A tall stalk of bamboo with dark leaves stands beside the tiger. In Japanese art, tigers and bamboo are traditionally paired to symbolize the balance of physical strength and resilient flexibility.

This playful, folk-inspired or eccentric representation is commonly found on 19th-century hanging scrolls. This is a good example of a genre that flourished during the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. This scroll was likely produced in the 19th century.

Because tigers are not indigenous to Japan, historical artists rarely had the opportunity to observe live specimens. Instead, painters had to rely on a combination of imported Chinese paintings, pelts brought back from mainland Asia, and their own domestic cats as references. This restriction led to a unique artistic tradition where tigers were depicted with distinctly feline attributes: Large, round, expressive eyes with pupils resembling a domestic cat. Whimsical, slightly exaggerated facial expressions, rather than purely ferocious anatomies. Whiskers and paws heavily stylized in the Sumi-e (ink wash) fashion alongside bamboo. As noted, bamboo is traditionally paired with tigers because it symbolizes resilience—bending but never breaking under pressure.

In the context of Japanese art and mounting, this painting is an example of “mekuri,” which refers to a loose, flat piece of artwork that has not yet been backed, framed as a hanging scroll, or pasted onto a permanent structural backing.

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