Monk and Mount Fuji

Name: Monk and Mount Fuji
SKU: 4399
Price: 200.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Kakemono, unique work, 188 x 81 cm

Product number: 4399

Height 188 cm
Width 81 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

€200.00

Available, delivery time: 1-3 Days

Description

Before the gentle outline of Mount Fuji, which stands out through delicate bands of clouds in the background of this kakemono, a traveler in a wide straw hat wanders across an autumnal plain. The posture of the figure, raising a wind instrument to the lips, lends the scene an almost meditative, soundless musicality. Surrounded by pampas grass and scattered red and blue blossoms, the landscape appears both sparse and expansive – characteristic features of autumnal motifs in Japanese painting, which often allude to impermanence and quiet contemplation.

Mount Fuji itself is rendered restrained in pale yellow and brown tones and thus does not appear dominant, but as a calm background to the human figure. As the sacred mountain of Japan and a recurring motif in painting, Mount Fuji symbolizes permanence and spiritual sublimity.

This depiction connects it in an evocative way with the solitary wanderer, making the kakemono a calm, poetic composition.

Frequently asked

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?.