Kakemono Two Titmice on an Autumn Cliff

Shūgai shōkin-zu, autumn cliff with small birds, is written on the wooden box, and that is exactly what this picture shows, only with more movement than the title suggests. From the upper right a dark cliff face pushes into the picture, with grasses, small blue-green blossoms and long tendrils hanging down from it. A titmouse clings upside down to one of these shoots, while a second plunges into open space lower down with wings spread.

The painter works with strong contrast: rocks and large, heart-shaped leaves are set down almost entirely in ink wash, while the red berries and the blossoms are sparingly dabbed with color. The plumage of the birds is rendered finely with a dry brush. The lower half of the picture remains nearly empty, so that the birds stand in a wide, cool air characteristic of early autumn.

The inscription dates the picture to the clear autumn of a year with the characters 癸酉, which in the Shōwa period corresponds to 1933, and names Yūrin, meaning Ishikawa Yūrin of Aichi, who is said to have studied under Oda Kyōsai. This hand-painted one-of-a-kind piece on silk measures 54 × 187 cm and is mounted in light-green damask with a cloud pattern. The jikusaki are made of wood, and the inscribed wooden box bears a signature and seal.