Lone Deer in Moonlight

Name: Lone Deer in Moonlight
Brand: Tanaka Totsugen
SKU: 6097
Price: 1230.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Kakemono, unique work, with box, 180 x 53 cm

Product number: 6097

Height 180 cm
Width 53 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Silk
Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes
Wooden Box Yes

Signature / Stamp:

Tanaka Totsugen

€1,230.00

Available, delivery time: 1-3 Days

Description

A jagged rock rises from dense fog, and atop its peak stands a single deer, raising its head into the stillness of the sky. The restrained palette of muted grays and blues, together with the softly blurred contours, creates an almost floating, meditative atmosphere.

At the foot of the rock, a few reed stalks and a pale moon suggest the nighttime hour – a motif that has long stood for solitude and quiet longing in Japanese painting. The hanging scroll bears the signature and seal of Tanaka Totsugen, one of the central figures of the Yamato-e revival in Kyoto during the late Edo period.

Totsugen studied under Tosa Mitsusada and devoted his work to a return to the classical court painting of earlier centuries, which lends his works a special art-historical standing to this day. Painted on silk and mounted within a border of brown brocade with a delicate blossom pattern, the painting is accompanied by an inscribed wooden box. The reduced composition and the fine painterly execution make this hand-painted unique work a quiet, poetic eye-catcher for collectors of Japanese art.

Frequently asked

Does this piece come with a wooden box (Tomobako)?

Yes, this work is delivered with a wooden box.

Does this work carry a seal or signature?

Yes, this piece carries the signature or seal of Tanaka Totsugen

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?.