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Moonlit Night over the Lake with Cranes and Pagoda

Kakemono, unique work, 170 x 48 cm
Product number: 3442

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 170 cm
  • Width 48 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Wood
  • Material Honshi Paper
  • Period of Creation Heisei (1989–2019)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
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No longer available

Description

A full moon bathes the scenery in warm light, while seven cranes fly in staggered formation over a lake lined with pagodas, bridges, and forests. On the right edge of the picture a small boat lies moored, while at the upper left a calligraphic inscription complements the motif – an excerpt from a classical Chinese poem about a nighttime boat journey by moonlight and the sound of bells.

This union of image and poetry is typical of literati painting, in which landscape, script, and mood merge into a single unity. The flock of cranes flying past the moon is at the same time regarded as a symbol of longevity and a clear, lofty spirit, while the tranquil water landscape creates a contemplative, almost dreamlike atmosphere.

The hanging scroll of Chinese pictorial tradition was hand-painted on paper during the Heisei period and mounted with wooden jikusaki. The calligraphic title at the upper edge as well as several red artist's seals underscore the distinction of this unique work, offering lovers of classical East Asian landscape painting an atmospheric enrichment.

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?.