Plum Blossoms – Fragrance and Snow
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 Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
In a vigorous, semi-cursive brush style, this kakemono joins the characters for "plum blossoms" and "snow" into a poetic unity. The brushwork alternates between full, black areas and slender, energetic lines that lend the sheet a palpable sense of movement despite its brevity.
In content, the calligraphy evokes the classic image of the first plum blossoms, which open amid snow and cold and release their fragrance – a motif taken up many times in Japanese poetry and painting as a symbol of perseverance and the first inkling of approaching spring. Two red seals and a small date accompany the writer's signature.
Mounted on fine, gold-brocade-like fabric and fitted with wooden roller rods, the work dates from the Shôwa period. The picture support is made of paper; the clear, calm design of the border allows the powerful script itself to remain the focal point, making this unique work an elegant example of the art of Japanese calligraphy.
