Five Daruma in Ink
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 116 cm
- Width 39 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
With a few energetic brushstrokes, five depictions of Bodhidharma are gathered here, each with its own, slightly fierce or contemplative facial expression. The round, thickly applied ink contours recall the traditional Daruma dolls and lend the image an almost humorous, sketch-like vivacity.
Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism, is regarded as a symbol of unshakable willpower and perseverance, as tradition holds that he sat meditating before a rock face for nine years. The multiplied depiction of several Daruma heads side by side is a popular motif meant to invoke both endurance and good fortune.
The work, from the Shôwa period, was executed in free ink painting on paper and mounted with a wooden rod. The reduced, almost calligraphic pictorial language makes this kakemono a striking eye-catcher that appeals both to connoisseurs of Zen iconography and to lovers of expressive ink painting.
