The Wanderer and the Beauty
Kakemono, unique work, 195 x 60 cm
Product number:
3465
- Height 195 cm
- Width 60 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
€150.00
Available, delivery time: 1-3 Days
Description
Leaning on a long staff, an old wanderer with a furrowed face and a mottled robe faces an elegant young woman in this kakemono, who, fan in hand, appears to be striding across the waves. The contrast between the wanderer's weathered, life-worn appearance and the graceful lightness of the beauty lends the encounter an appealing tension.
An inscription in the upper third of the image accompanies the scene and refers to a particular literary or mythological subject, of the kind that frequently served as the basis for such encounter motifs in the Chinese-Japanese pictorial tradition. The robes are rendered with fine, partly golden shimmering lines that lend the figures a rich texture despite the reduced pictorial space.
The painting shows age-related traces of use and has minor damage, which, however, does nothing to diminish its charm as an antique with a long history. For collectors of narrative Japanese figure painting, this kakemono is an appealing discovery.
Frequently asked
Based on the previous owners' information and the condition of the object we place it broadly in the Meiji (1868–1912) 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?.
