Sparrows on a Fruit Tree
Kakemono, unique work, with box, 190 x 60 cm
Product number:
6379
- Height 190 cm
- Width 60 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Bone
- Material Honshi Silk
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
- Wooden Box Yes
Description
A harmonious still life of nature unfolds in this hanging scroll: perched on the finely drawn branches of a fruit tree – presumably a plum or an apple tree – are several small birds, calm yet lively in their posture. The subtle color nuances of the leaves and fruits, in cool gray and green tones, lend the work a quiet, almost melancholic mood.
The fine brushwork emphasizes both the lightness of the leaves and the gentle movement of the birds, which are distributed across the image in a balanced composition. The work conveys a calm snapshot of late summer or early autumn, in which nature and animal life appear in gentle harmony.
Painted on silk, with jikusaki made of bone, dated to the Shōwa period. The seal refers to Okajima Kiyohiro. The work is kept in a signed wooden box.
Frequently asked
Yes, this work is delivered with a wooden box.
Yes, this piece carries the signature or seal of Okajima Kiyohiro
Based on the previous owners' information and the condition of the object we place it broadly in the Shôwa (1926–1989) period, but cannot give a precise date.
Yes, this piece is a genuine handcrafted original that exists only once.
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?.
