Kakemono Night Boat Ride Beneath the Pine

Painted with the finest brush and luminous colors on silk, this exceptional hanging scroll depicts a small party in a covered boat, gathered beneath the far-reaching, moss-draped branches of an old pine. A scholar, a monk, and several companions are clearly enjoying a convivial excursion on the still water, while in the background a delicate moon shimmers through the haze.

Such nocturnal excursions of scholars and friends are among the popular literary motifs of East Asian painting and stand for leisure, friendship, and the quiet enjoyment of art, music, and nature. The accompanying, extensive calligraphy at the right edge of the image lends the work an additional poetic-narrative character.

Created in the Shôwa period and mounted with a wood fitting, this Kakemono captivates through its unusually rich coloring and narrative density. An exceptional collector's piece for all who are enthusiastic about figurative Japanese painting with literary reference.