Among the frostbitten reeds, a family of egrets stands—still as spirits, pale as breath, their feathers whiter than the snow itself. Each bird is a brushstroke of grace against the muted landscape. They huddle close, their slender necks drawn in against the cold, eyes alert yet untroubled. The river glides past, slow and dark, bearing the weight of the season, while the egrets remain—ephemeral sentinels of stillness, embodying the quiet poetry of life endured in quiet communion with the cold. This is the aesthetic of the Japanese communion with nature which represented the way of life in the archipelago for centuries. Minimalistic, Zen, Raw.
There are traces of a signature and the shadow of the artist’s seal in the lower left. Dating from the early Edo, 17th century, the paper bears the marks of centuries of handling. Remounted in its current state in the 20th century using kinrande gold threaded cloth and ivory rollers, it is 51 x 180 cm (20 x 71 inches), and comes enclosed in an old wooden storage box. The ivoru will be changed in case of export.
