Brood Paintings

A Japanese antique storage and display cabinet crafted entirely from solid Japanese cedar, dating from the 1920s–1940s. Originally used as a merchandise display shelf in a long-estab...

This is an old stone stand in Japan. I don't know the details if it was used as a stand for beating straw, but it seems to be before the end of the Edo period. The round silhouette...

A Japanese antique single-slab board crafted from zelkova and dating to the 1940s. The wood grain is strikingly beautiful—bold, flowing, and expressive—giving the piece a sculptural ...

Cherry Blossoms Kano Sanrakuki (1898-1981) Showa period, circa 1930 2-panel Japanese Screen Color, gofun and gold leaf on paper Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground, the lichen covered trunk and branches of the life-sized cherry blossom tree reach out and beyond the confines of the pictorial surface. The overall composition has a feeling of flatness which draws emphasis to the surface and the three-dimensionality of the cherry blossoms. Painstakingly built-up layers of thickly applied shell-white gofun detail the voluminous blossoms and cover large areas of this tour-de-force of Japanese Nihonga painting. By simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and depicting the blossoms with such heavy relief, the artist has emphasized the stunning presence of the cherry tree. The type of tree depicted is the Yae-Zakura; a double-layered type of cherry blossom famed for its beauty and strength. When we think of Japanese cherry blossoms, the first thing that comes to mind is Somei Yoshino variety, which has a single flower with five almost white petals. This type is fragile and easily blown away by strong wind or rain. Most of the double-flowered cherry blossoms begin to bloom when the Somei-Yoshino falls, and the flowering period lasts longer than that of the Somei-Yoshino. Kano Sanrakuki originally studied painting at the Kyoto City Arts and Crafts School under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo...

This is an old Japanese wooden work board. The wood is cedar, and due to long-term use, the black color around the edges remains, and the color has peeled off only in the middle. Th...

Vintage framed Still Life Oil Painting of Fruit with Pitcher. Framed in a lovely wooden frame. Ready to hang with wire along the back. French, circa 1920. Size of frame: 16 x 18 i...

This is an old wooden form of Daruma made in Japan. It is estimated to have been made between the Meiji and Taisho periods (1860s-1920s) and seems to have been made of cedar wood. De...

This is an antique Japanese-style cabinet made in the Meiji period. The texture of the black lacquer, smoked with soot from the hearth, has a unique depth and charm that is unlike a...

This is a tasteful antique storage shelf made in the Meiji period. Made from cedar, the dark wood gives it a deep flavor. No nails are used for the joints, but the traditional "mor...

Vintage watercolor painting of two Geisha under an umbrella - watercolor over graphite with gold gilt border - signed upper right (unidentified artist/maker...

We present to you a precious old wrapping paper from the Taisho period. This washi paper was used to wrap important items. It was made by overlapping multiple ledgers, and is chara...

Imao Keisho (1902-1993) Pine Trees Early 20th Century, Circa 1930 Pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink on silk and gold leaf. Dimensions: Each screen H. 67.5” x 148” (172 cm x 376 cm) A pair of monumental six-panel Japanese pine screens by the renowned Nihonga artist Imao Keisho. Here Keisho entirely removed the background and brought the pine trees to the surface of the painting. This simplification of the elements makes the scene exceptionally direct and compelling and injects a very modern...