Crow in Autumn Branches

Name: Crow in Autumn Branches
SKU: 5975
Price: 440.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Kakemono, unique work, 200 x 52 cm

Product number: 5975

Height 200 cm
Width 52 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

€440.00

Available, delivery time: 1-3 Days

Description

With a hunched posture and watchful gaze, a single crow sits on a branch, its dense, deep black plumage captured in powerful, broad ink strokes. Loosely inked leaves in the background suggest that the scene takes place in autumn branches.

The crow occupies a special, often ambivalent role in the Japanese pictorial tradition: as a clever, independent bird, it is associated as much with spiritual guidance as with solitude and impermanence. The reduced, powerful painting technique – only a few broad brushstrokes for the body – is characteristic of virtuoso sumi-e painting.

Painted on paper and fitted with a jikusaki made of wood, this hand-painted unique work from the Meiji period is an impressive example of reduced, powerful Japanese ink painting.

Frequently asked

When was the work created?

Based on the previous owners' information and the condition of the object we place it broadly in the Meiji (1868–1912) period, but cannot give a precise date.

Is this genuine craftsmanship?

Yes, this piece is a genuine handcrafted original that exists only once.

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?.