Mount Horai
Kakemono, unique work, 171 x 65 cm
Product number:
3677
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 171 cm
- Width 65 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
Sold
No longer available
Description
The legendary Mount Horai is a paradisiacal land in Japanese and Chinese mythology. It is said to be located in the Gulf of Bohai, together with four other islands on which the immortals lived.
Unlike the idyllic Chinese mythology, the Japanese Mount Horai is not free from suffering and death and rejects magical properties of the island.
In traditional Japanese painting, the paradisiacal island frequently appears as a mountain range carried by a giant turtle.
This hanging scroll was presumably created in the early 20th century and shows some signs of wear, particularly in the mounting, though nothing serious. It is painted on paper and the jikusaki are made of wood. Unfortunately, the artist's name is not known.
Unlike the idyllic Chinese mythology, the Japanese Mount Horai is not free from suffering and death and rejects magical properties of the island.
In traditional Japanese painting, the paradisiacal island frequently appears as a mountain range carried by a giant turtle.
This hanging scroll was presumably created in the early 20th century and shows some signs of wear, particularly in the mounting, though nothing serious. It is painted on paper and the jikusaki are made of wood. Unfortunately, the artist's name is not known.
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?.
