Plum Blossoms in Moonlight
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Mōri Baiyū and was a 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 47 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
Description
Against a softly blurred lunar disc, a gnarled plum branch rises in this kakemono over a pale yellow silk ground, its few blossoms suggested in fine ink lines. The painting draws its life from restraint: bands of clouds in warm ochre tones frame the full moon, while the branch, with a few confident brushstrokes, suggests movement and growth. Beside the composition are a short inscription and a red seal, lending the image its personal touch.
The motif of the plum in bloom before the moon is among the most beloved subjects of Japanese painting and stands for the arrival of spring as well as for constancy amid the cold of winter, since the plum tree is among the first to bloom. As a New Year's motif, it joins observation of nature with a deeply rooted cultural symbolism.
The work bears the signature or seal of Mori Umetomo and dates from the Shôwa period. Paper serves as the support for the painting, and the hand-painted work rests on wooden axis rods. An evocative collector's piece for lovers of traditional Japanese ink painting, suited equally as tokonoma decoration or as a wall hanging.
