Dark Koi Leaping Over the Wave

Name: Dark Koi Leaping Over the Wave
Brand: Gyokuhō
SKU: 4165
Price: 150.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, 200 x 35 cm

Product number: 4165

Sold – no longer available

This piece was handmade by Gyokuhō 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 200 cm
Width 35 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

Signature / Stamp:

Gyokuhō

Sold

No longer available

Description

Powerful and dynamic, this koi appears to leap out of the water – the energetic brushwork masterfully captures its movement in a few broad ink strokes. Scales and fins are indicated with fine lines, while the body is modeled in strong shades of gray.

The koi is traditionally regarded in Japan as a symbol of perseverance, courage and success, as legend has it that it swims upstream against waterfalls to eventually transform into a dragon. Depictions of leaping koi were therefore popular auspicious motifs meant to express strength and determination.

Painted on paper and mounted with wooden rods, this kakemono dates from the Shôwa period. The reduced, almost calligraphic pictorial language makes this hanging scroll a vivid example of Japanese ink painting and a symbolic bringer of good fortune for any room.

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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