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Waterfall over Rock Steps with Pines

Kakemono, unique work, 198 x 55 cm
Product number: 4216

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 198 cm
  • Width 55 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Material Honshi Paper
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Sold

No longer available

Description

A narrow waterfall plunges downward between moss-covered rock outcrops, framed by gnarled pines and windblown grass – the stillness of this kakemono seems positively suffused with the sound of rushing water. With loosely applied brushstrokes, the painter creates a sense of depth that repeatedly draws the eye from the treetops down to the falling water.

Created in the Shôwa period, the painting displays the reduction to ink tones typical of sansui painting, complemented by a subtle red stamp signature at the lower edge of the image. The honshi is made of paper, so that the texture of the material itself contributes to the pictorial effect, lending the waterfall an almost tangible freshness.

Such depictions of nature were traditionally regarded in Japan as a symbol of purity and renewal and were often placed in the tokonoma to bring calm and clarity into a room. For collectors of Japanese hanging scrolls, this work is an atmospheric addition that speaks to the long tradition of landscape painting.

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?.