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Bamboo Between Rocks in Ink

Kakemono, unique work, 177 x 50 cm
Product number: 3746

Sold – no longer available

This piece was handmade by Chikusen and was a one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.

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Details about the sold piece

  • Height 177 cm
  • Width 50 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Wood
  • Material Honshi Paper
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Signature / Stamp:
Chikusen
Sold

No longer available

Description

In muted, nuanced shades of gray, bamboo grows here between towering rock formations, the leaves distributed across the pictorial space in sweeping, tapering brushstrokes. The characteristic, slightly knotted stalks are indicated with a dry brush, creating a pleasantly airy, almost sketch-like lightness that lends the motif a great deal of natural movement.

At the upper edge of the image, a multi-line inscription in fine calligraphy has been added, accompanied by a small red seal – an indication that this painting was once understood as a joint literary and artistic work. In East Asian pictorial language, bamboo has always been regarded as a symbol of constancy and inner strength, as it bends in the storm without breaking.

The ink painting on paper is set within a warm, brownish-golden silk border and dates from the Shôwa period. Together with the rocky formations from which the plant grows, it forms a quiet, contemplative landscape image that particularly showcases the reduced elegance of classical ink painting.

Frequently asked

No – as a one-of-a-kind piece it exists in a single example only.
We would be glad to look for one. Get in touch with the details of the object you are looking for and we will see what we can do.
Because the two pieces of information speak about different things: the period designation describes the object – support, colors, condition – while the signature reflects which name appears on the painting. In most cases there is no attempt at deception behind this, but rather Japanese painting training: copying from workshop models was the curriculum for centuries, an utsushi is regarded as a bow to the teacher, workshops signed with the master's name, and artist names were passed down within a school. Such a hanging scroll is therefore not a forgery, but a hand-painted one-of-a-kind that continues the formal language of its school – just not the work of the famous name, and priced accordingly. We explain this in detail in the guide Why does a kakemono often bear the signature of an artist long deceased?.