The Hermit

Name: The Hermit
Brand: Tanaka Koga
SKU: 5612
Price: 170.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Kakemono, unique work, 185 x 67 cm

Product number: 5612

Sold – no longer available

This piece was handmade by Tanaka Koga 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 185 cm
Width 67 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Sculpture
Material Honshi Paper
Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

Signature / Stamp:

Tanaka Koga

Sold

No longer available

Description

With a contemplative gaze and a flowing beard, an old hermit sits in this hanging scroll, while fine smoke rises from an incense vessel in elegant swirls. The folds of his robe are emphasized with dark, impasto brushstrokes, lending the figure an almost meditative calm.

The hanging scroll bears the signature and seal of Tanaka Koga and was hand-painted on paper during the Shôwa period. The jikusaki is made of plastic, while the rest of the mounting follows the classical form of a Japanese hanging scroll.

Hermit and sage figures are among the classical motifs of East Asian painting and symbolize wisdom, seclusion, and spiritual freedom. Anyone interested in the quiet, philosophically informed themes of Japanese art will find in this hanging scroll an expressive and serene collector's piece.

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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