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Irises

Kakemono, unique work, 128 x 72 cm
Product number: 4405

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 128 cm
  • Width 72 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Sculpture
  • Material Honshi Silk
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Sold

No longer available

Description

Two blue irises in different shades of blue sway above narrow, upright leaves, while a dragonfly with outspread wings appears to be landing on one of the stems. The coloring is bold and clear, the motif typical of the summer months, when depictions of irises are traditionally displayed in the tokonoma. In the lower right of the picture field a small red artist's seal can be seen.

The kakemono was hand-painted on silk during the Shôwa period (1926–1989), which lends the depiction a particular luminosity and delicacy in the color gradations. The combination of iris and dragonfly is one of the popular summer motifs of Japanese painting and at the same time symbolizes grace and the transience of the moment.

The roller rods are fitted with ends made of plastic, and the picture support consists of fine silk. Anyone looking for a decorative, well-preserved hanging scroll with a cheerful, summery motif will find in this hand-painted unique work an evocative piece of traditional Japanese art.

Frequently asked

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