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Lady in Dark Floral Kimono

Kakemono, unique work, with box, 200 x 52 cm
Product number: 5901

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 200 cm
  • Width 52 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Wood
  • Material Honshi Silk
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
  • Wooden Box Yes
Sold

No longer available

Description

With lowered gaze and elaborately pinned-up hair, an elegant lady in a dark, floral-patterned kimono is depicted here, her reserved expression and delicate facial features reflecting the style of classical Bijin-ga, the Japanese painting of beauties. A yellow-and-blue striped scarf loops loosely around neck and shoulder, while a red hair ornament sets a subtle accent of color within the otherwise dark palette.

The hand-painting was created on fine silk and dates from the Shôwa period; the clear brushwork and restrained color palette attest to the painter's high skill. The hanging scroll is delivered including its accompanying wooden box, which was typically used for storage and protection from light and dust.

As a classic Bijin-ga motif, this Kakemono embodies the quiet elegance of Japanese portrait painting and is exceptionally well suited as a decorative eye-catcher in the Tokonoma or in a Japanese-inspired living space. For collectors of traditional depictions of women, this hand-painted unique work is a particularly graceful piece.

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?.