Takasago - The Old Couple with Turtles by the Sea

Name: Takasago - The Old Couple with Turtles by the Sea
SKU: 4200
Price: 200.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, 200 x 71 cm

Product number: 4200

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 200 cm
Width 71 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Bone
Material Honshi Silk
Period of Creation Taishô (1912–1926)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

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Description

Under a gnarled pine tree whose branches span wide across the picture, an old man with a rake and an old woman with a broom meet against the backdrop of a setting sun over the sea. At their feet rest two turtles, while two cranes pass by in the sky – symbols of longevity and marital fidelity.

The scene draws on the well-known Takasago legend, in which the spirits of two old pine trees appear as a loving old couple and stand for constancy, harmony, and a long life together. This motif was traditionally a popular gift for weddings and milestone birthdays.

Painted on silk and fitted with a roller rod with handles made of bone, this kakemono dates from the Taishô period. With its rich symbolism and fine execution, this hanging scroll is a particularly meaningful example of Japanese narrative painting.

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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