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Wanderer at the Waterfall

Kakemono, unique work, 190 x 52 cm
Product number: 3966

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 190 cm
  • Width 52 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Bone
  • Material Honshi Silk
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Sold

No longer available

Description

This kakemono dates from the Shôwa period and shows two wanderers dressed in straw capes on a narrow wooden bridge, while in the background a powerful waterfall plunges through densely wooded rock gorges, dominating the picture with its force and expanse and impressing upon the viewer the power of nature.

The small figures, laden with heavy burdens, lend a human scale to the tremendous natural backdrop and tell of the arduous paths along Japanese mountain trails, along which travelers and merchants once journeyed, often in wind and weather. Dark, glazed tree silhouettes set powerful accents against the misty, brightly kept background.

Painted on paper and fitted with roller ends made of bone, this hand-painted unique work is a vivid example of classical Japanese landscape painting that impressively combines the force of nature with human endeavor and leaves the viewer ample room for contemplation. Such travel motifs recall the long tradition of wandering monks and merchants who once traveled through the Japanese mountains.

Frequently asked

No – as a one-of-a-kind piece it exists in a single example only.
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.
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?.