Kakemono Riverside Vegetation with Butterfly

A quiet riverside area unfolds in rich botanical variety: climbing branches with blue blossoms grow up from a moss-covered rock, while below them a dense vegetation of reeds, red pinks (nadeshiko), horsetail shoots (tsukushi), curled fern fronds (warabi) and pink-flowering Chinese milk vetch (renge) unfolds. In the foreground, the stillness of a small pond is reflected, on which water lily leaves drift and individual light blue blossoms shine. A white butterfly hovers above the plants, lending the scene a touch of lightness and movement.

The composition combines botanical precision with painterly freedom and reveals a fine sense for the beauty of fleeting moments in nature. The color palette is of great subtlety – muted tones of green and brown form the underlying tone, from which the luminous accents of the blossoms stand out.

The painting bears the seal of Shibata Zeshin and was created in the Meiji period. Painted on silk, with a jikusaki made of bone and accompanied by a signed wooden box, it is a hand-painted unique work of extraordinary artistic significance.