Bottle Gourds and Sparrows

Name: Bottle Gourds and Sparrows
SKU: 5749
Price: 110.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, with box, 182 x 60 cm

Product number: 5749

Sold – no longer available

This piece was a handmade 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 182 cm
Width 60 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Silk
Period of Creation Heisei (1989–2019)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes
Wooden Box Yes

Sold

No longer available

Description

Lush leaves and several ripe bottle gourds hang heavily from a curving vine, while two sparrows have settled on a rocky outcrop at the lower edge of the painting. The bottle gourd, known in Japan as hyôtan, has long been regarded as a symbol of good fortune, said to bring abundance and protection from misfortune – a popular motif in decorative bird-and-flower painting.

The strong green tones of the leaves and the delicate, pale shapes of the gourds create an appealing contrast, while the two sparrows lend the composition a lively, almost playful note. At the lower edge of the painting, the artist's signature and red seal can be seen; the work dates from the Heisei period.

The hanging scroll, painted on silk with wooden roller ends, is delivered with a matching wooden box. With its clear, naturalistic depiction and its friendly symbolism, this kakemono is an inviting motif for collectors of Japanese painting.

Frequently asked

I am interested in this work. Do you have more of them in stock?

No – as a one-of-a-kind piece it exists in a single example only.

Can you source a similar work?

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.

Why does the date of creation sometimes not match the artist's dates

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?.

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