Kakemono Calligraphy "The Life of a Woman"

In elegant, flowing brushstrokes, this calligraphy tells of a woman's life through the decades: at twenty beautiful, at forty wise, at sixty healthy, and at a hundred years finally "beautiful like silver with patina" – a poetic hymn to aging with dignity and grace, ascribing its own quality to each stage of life.

The characters are written with a fine, cultivated brush and reveal the practiced hand of a calligrapher who valued balance and legibility. A red seal at the lower left completes the composition on the cream-colored paper, lending it a personal, almost intimate character.

The calligraphy is mounted in an elaborate silk border embroidered with golden chrysanthemum tendrils and is delivered in a matching wooden box that lends the work its museum-like character. An expressive kakemono for anyone enthusiastic about the poetic side of Japanese calligraphy art.