Kakemono Spring Dawn – Scholar with Servant in the Mountains

A scholar in a yellow robe walks along a mountain path, accompanied by a servant carrying a lantern and a small dog, while above a waterfall plunges over rugged rocks and a hut with a sleeping figure can be seen among blossoming trees. The composition combines several classical landscape elements at once: the steep waterfall in the background, the dense vegetation in tones of green and red, and the small, lovingly rendered scene of the travelers in the foreground. A flock of yellow birds further enlivens the middle ground of the image. At the upper left is Meng Haoran's poem “Spring Dawn” (春眠不覺曉 處處聞啼鳥 夜來風雨聲 花落知多少), to which the box inscription 春暁山水図 (“Spring Dawn Landscape”) also refers. Such narrative landscapes with several small scenes invited the viewer to discover the image piece by piece, rather than taking it in at a single glance.

The kakemono comes in a wooden box (tomobako) signed by the artist and, due to its wealth of detail, is particularly suited to collectors who enjoy immersing themselves in an image.