Description AFTER MORI SOSEN: A SMALL PRINT OF TWO MONKEYSAfter Mori Sosen (1747-1821), signed Sosen with two sealsJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Printed on silk to depict two monkeys seated on a gnarled tree branch bearing dense small leaves, both with thick fur and neatly detailed faces, one scratching itself behind the ear with a shocked expression as it looks downward with the mouth agape, the other looking down with a stern but calm expression. Printed signature lower left MORI SOSEN with two seals. Framed behind glass.SIZE 39 x 18 cm framedCondition: Good condition with minor wear, soiling, few small losses.Provenance: French private collection.Mori Sosen (1747-1821), the founder of the Mori painting School, was active in Osaka at the end of the Edo period and came to be known as the 'Monkey Painter Sosen,' and he is renowned even today for his monkey paintings. Like his contemporary Maruyama Okyo, Sosen created works based on sketches from life as is finely exemplified by the painting presented here, where the artist has beautifully captured the realism of the details of the animals' soft fur in the refined delicacy of the brushstrokes.