Two Sparrows in Winter
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 160 cm
- Width 40 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Ceramics
- Material Honshi Silk
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
- Wooden Box Yes
No longer available
Description
Two small sparrows with reddish-tinged head plumage sit close together on a snow-covered rise, while below them, branches with bright orange-red berries push up through the snow. The combination of delicate white, the birds' warm brown tones, and the vivid touches of color from the berries creates an evocative image of winter stillness.
Bird motifs in the snow are among the classic themes of Japanese painting and symbolize endurance and the survival of nature even in the cold season. The fine rendering of the plumage and the carefully placed shadings in the snow attest to great painterly skill.
The painting is executed on silk, the jikusaki is made of ceramics, created in the Shôwa period. This kakemono comes in a wooden box (tomobako) signed by the artist and is especially well suited to bringing wintry calm and a sense of connection to nature into one's own home.
