Description

High up in the branches of an old pine, two Manchurian cranes stand with their long necks stretched out, their white plumage set clearly against the warm golden sky. The tree grows out of a moss-covered rock cliff, extending its heavy, horizontally reaching branches far out over the still water surface below.

The needle clusters are rendered in short, densely placed strokes and complemented with light green lichen dots on the trunk, lending the pine a visible sense of age. The rest of the pictorial space remains almost empty: only a delicate orange-red stripe along the upper edge and a few suggested wave lines in the water structure the wide, gold-toned surface. The gnarled forks of the branches are placed so that the two birds find their footing in the crown as if naturally.

Pine and crane are inseparably linked in Japanese art and together stand for a long life and lasting happiness; depicted as a pair, the meaning of marital bond is added. Signature and red seal are found in the lower right. Executed as a screen print on silk, this hanging scroll, titled Pair of Cranes in the Old Pine by the Water, is a calm, auspicious piece.