Kakemono Daruma with Earrings in White Robe

With a piercing gaze and bushy, raised eyebrows, the bearded monk looks out from the picture – an expressive depiction of Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism. His bald head, the distinctive earrings, and the loosely draped white robe are rendered with confident brushwork and subtle gradations of color that lend the face an almost tangible plasticity.

In Japan, Bodhidharma is regarded as a symbol of unshakable determination and meditative absorption; according to legend, he is said to have meditated without interruption for nine years. Such depictions, known as Daruma pictures, were and remain popular in Buddhist-influenced households and temples. Painted on silk during the Shôwa period, the work is surrounded by an elaborate gold-colored brocade border with a floral scroll pattern and mounted on a wooden rod.

With its intense presence and its elaborate mounting, this kakemono is an impressive collector's piece for enthusiasts of Buddhist iconography and Japanese portrait painting alike.