Kakemono Blossom with Hanging Seed Pod

With a wide-open, funnel-shaped blossom and a dark, bristly-haired seed pod hanging from a thin stem, this kakemono depicts an unusual plant motif beyond the common cherry or plum blossom painting. The fine, radially arranged veins of the petals are executed with a confident hand in delicate gray.

Such botanically precise yet artistically condensed plant depictions have a long tradition in Japanese ink painting and testify to the careful observation of nature that many painters cultivated. The combination of blossom and ripening seed pod alludes to the natural cycle of blooming and fruiting. The kakemono shows some age-related damage at the mounting, which, however, does not detract from the overall impression and at the same time lets the piece reveal its long history.

For collectors of unusual plant motifs in Japanese painting, this work is an original discovery.