Kakemono Wild Goose over Reeds Against the Full Moon

With wings spread wide, a wild goose swoops down from the night sky, its neck stretched downward, its orange feet already poised for landing. Behind it hangs the pale disc of the full moon; below waits a dense belt of reeds whose stalks are painted in flowing, wet-bleeding ink.

Goose, reeds and moon are among the classic autumn motifs in Japan, and rarely is their interplay told as dynamically as here: the plumage is modeled with fine, opaque strokes, while the reeds are set down almost abstractly in broad washes. Signature and seal name Sano Kōsui, a nihonga painter from Nagano Prefecture to whom the Shinano Art Museum there dedicated a memorial exhibition in 1969.

This hand-painted one-of-a-kind piece on silk dates from the Shōwa period and, at 215 cm in height, is a generous format for a tall wall or an alcove. The mounting in brocade with a floral pattern, plastic jikusaki and a wooden box are included. As a seasonal scroll, it suits the weeks from September to November.