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Hi there,
I hope I may ask your help to know something about the chinese or japanese scroll on paper with a writing and four marks which you can see in the pictures in the attached link.
I would like to know the meaning of the scene and, possibly, of the writing and the marks...
It seems quite well painted to me but, unfortunately, it is also rather damaged, with scotch tape on the back!! I would like to know if it worths a professional restoration.
Thanks a lot in advance and kind regards,
Luciano

Link :https://picasaweb.google.com/114527450688935316321/6289147652537190049

Chinese, 1868 or 1928. Decent quality despite the damage, not sure of the artist (I may be misreading the first character of his given name as 正 if anyone can clarify. I don't see anyone named 张正龙). Repair and remounting will not be cheap but the picture is worth saving if you feel generous.

I suggest this might be Japanese, even though the artist's name looks more Chinese, but the style of the seals - particularly the lower of the two under the colophon look more Japanese to me.

If Rat sees this, he is better qualified to comment on the quality.

yes my gut reaction was japanese as well for some reason, also the calligraphy strikes me as more similar to Japanese inscriptions than most and I'm not getting a sense for the meaning as I might for a Chinese picture. The geometry of the composition strikes me as akin to Japanese painting too. Not sure this is a valid observation without seeing the actual painting but it strikes me too that the painting is rather flat on the picture plane rather than showing a lot of recession (despite the distant hills), and that too is characteristically Japanese. Not that Chinese painters didn't do the same. There were also some Chinese painters working in Japan. But then I thought, hey the guy is surnamed Zhang and this is looks like a Shanghai School type of picture, so that's where I came down. Hopefully one of the Japan experts will see something telltale to rule it in or out.

Hello Rat and Mike,
thank you so much for your kind replies and for your care about this painting: let's hope to know something more about it...
Best regards,
Luciano

sure, though sometimes as here there is some blurring going on in my head, so input from Mikeoz on the seals is a useful grounding. Guy or Stan or someone may be helpful from the Japanese side.

Hello,
thank you for your news: I am posting again this subject hoping in some new idea or help about this scroll.
Thanks a lot and best regards,
Luciano

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