Kanō Dōeki Narinobu – 狩野洞益成信 (act. 19th C.) – Mt. Fuji Obscured By Clouds – 雲に隠れている富士山

If the title of this piece was just “Winter Landscape”, the average person might not even notice that Mt. Fuji has been expertly depicted as being almost entirely obscured by clouds. The Kanō School techniques applied to this piece are of an extremely high level. The pigments were expertly mixed to be some of the strongest in the world, and there is next to no flaking whatsoever after more than 125 years. The subtle shades in the clouds, shadows and water are sublime, the restrained and artful use of gold paint is exquisite, and the piece extolls a majestic sense of strength and calm.

Kanō Dōeki was the 6th Narinobu of the Surugadai family of the 15 branches of the Kanō School. Pieces by Narinobu do not often find their way out of the private collections in Japan. His attention to the depiction of Mt. Fuji can also be seen in the last photo in the gallery, which is a piece of his that was on view in an Asian auction. Narinobu is held in The MFA (incorrectly listed as Tōeki – a common mistake with Tō and Dō), The Tachibana Museum (see last entry, 4th group), and many private collections.

The ancient Buddhist nature symbolism of this piece makes it auspicious for longevity, endurance, steadfastness, inner calm and a Zen reminder of the intangible things in life that we can’t grasp or comprehend (we would be happy to elaborate).

Very good condition for its age. Normal light toning, a few tiny stains and damages, normal wear upper verso and very slight waviness that will straighten out naturally if hung at length in the traditional manner with decorative “fuchin” weights on the two bottom “jikusaki” (roller ends).

72″ x 23.5″ – *In proper storage – not at our store. Please contact us for a viewing. Comes in an industrial strength tube with a signed and sealed document of authenticity and an email containing roughly 3 hours-worth of relevant reading and links to relevant documentaries. Purchase price includes shipping world-wide. All prices in Canadian dollars. Location: Cabinet A.