Old Plum Tree in Full Bloom

Name: Old Plum Tree in Full Bloom
SKU: 3939
Price: 160.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, 195 x 52 cm

Product number: 3939

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 195 cm
Width 52 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Wood
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Taishô (1912–1926)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

Sold

No longer available

Description

With sweeping, expressive, almost calligraphic brushstrokes, this work captures the gnarled, winding trunk of a blooming plum tree, whose branches spread energetically in all directions, while individual blossoms emerge like dabs of loose ink application, lending the image palpable vitality.

The plum tree is among the most popular motifs in East Asian painting, as it is the first tree to bloom in the year, thus symbolizing endurance, renewal, and the strength of early spring. An accompanying inscription refers to the southern region of Jiangnan, while two red artist's seals complete the composition and lend it additional weight.

Painted on paper, fitted with wooden roller ends, and dating from the Taishô period, this hand-painted unique work impresses with its spontaneous, powerful brushwork and the reduction to the essential typical of literati-style ink painting, without losing expressiveness. The onset of spring made this motif a popular choice for the cooler season in the tokonoma.

Frequently asked

I am interested in this work. Do you have more of them in stock?

No – as a one-of-a-kind piece it exists in a single example only.

Can you source a similar work?

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.

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?.

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