Calligraphy: Big Fish Do Not Live in Shallow Waters

Name: Calligraphy: Big Fish Do Not Live in Shallow Waters
SKU: 4498
Price: 240.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, 175 x 60 cm

Product number: 4498

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 175 cm
Width 60 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Ceramics
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

Sold

No longer available

Description

Four powerfully sweeping characters fill the picture surface of this calligraphy in two lines, whose meaning translates roughly as: big fish do not live in shallow waters. The proverb alludes to the idea that significant people or talents need room and depth to unfold, and has accordingly often been used as encouragement or warning.

The work was created in the Meiji period (1868–1912) and was entirely handwritten on paper. The clear, disciplined brushwork with distinctly defined strokes suggests an experienced calligrapher who was assured in balancing legibility and artistic expression.

The roller rods are fitted with ends made of ceramics. For collectors interested in classical Chinese-Japanese proverbs and their calligraphic rendering, this kakemono represents a vivid and at the same time meaningful example of Japanese calligraphy.

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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