This hanging scroll by Nakabayashi Chikkei presents a tall, continuous landscape rendered in the lyrical Nanga manner inherited from his father, Nakabayashi Chikuto, and further refined through his study with Yamamoto Baitsu. In softly modulated ink washes touched with pale mineral pigments, Chikkei constructs a monumental mountain valley composed of sheer cliffs, winding paths, and dense clusters of pines. A waterfall cascades through the center of the composition, guiding the eye downward to a scholar seated in a small boat, drifting quietly along the riverbank—an emblem of cultivated withdrawal and poetic travel. Chikkei’s distinctive hand is evident in the rhythmic brushwork of the rocks, the delicate attenuated tree forms, and the warm rose-colored accents that unify the scene. The painting embodies the refined Kyoto Nanga aesthetic in which he worked, and reflects his close associations with fellow literati such as Hineno Taizan and Yoshida Kokin. Despite its vertical format, the landscape unfolds with a gentle, unforced continuity, inviting the viewer to wander its secluded paths in the spirit of contemplative retreat. Ink and light color on paper in an olive colored silk border with blue satin piping terminating in wooden rollers. This was known as the Mincho style of mounting, and was very popular in the 19th century, especially among literati artists and collectors. The scroll is 43.5 x 215 cm (17 x 85 inches). It is in the original 19th century mounting, but could be remounted using the same cloth. There is a crease slightly up from the bottom, and a faint water stain adjacent the signature as well as a few repaired holes or abrasions in the upper sky.
Nakabayashi Chikkei (1816-1867) was born the son of Nakabayashi Chikuto, a well established painter of the Nagna style. He studied painting under his father, then Yamamoto Baitsu, blending those two styles to create a method unique to himself. He lived and worked in Kyoto where he was an associate of Hineno Taizan and Yoshida Kokin. Work by him is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum New York, Brooklyn, LACMA Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Spencer Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales Australia, Honnolulu, Freer Sackler and there is a very well established price point with him in international Auction Houses such as Christies and Bonnhams.
