Portrait of Mrs Elizabeth Karran
Date made: 19th century
Artist: Kasagi, Jirokichi
Description: The portrait shows Mrs Elizabeth Karran, wife of Captain John Karran of the Castletown Karran Fleet. Their vessels traded all over the world at the end of the 19th century. Painted in Japan from a photograph, it illustrates the extensive trading routes that existed between the Isle of Man and the Far East during the age of sail.
Recent detective work has revealed that this painting is the work of celebrated Japanese artist Jirokichi Kasagi (1870-1923). Kasagi's grandson confirms that the signature is one used by his grandfather when signing in western characters. The artist, born in 1870, was popular among Europeans in Japan and worked in Yokohama, a port with strong trading links to the West. Many of his paintings and sketches were lost in an earthquake in 1923 and in fires in the Second World War, which makes this artwork all the more unique. The artwork has now undergone major conservation work to enable it to go on public display.
Materials: oil on canvas
Object name: painting
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 2012-0086
Subject tags : #artgalleryjourneys