JAPANESE HANGING SCROLL: Antique \"Hawk on Perch\", Soga, c.1700\'s, Edo Period For Sale

This is a wonderful Hanging Scroll with a venerable painting on paper by an artist of the Soga School. I believe that the painting dates to the 1700\'s and was once part of a byobu, or folding screen. The elegant mounting is new.

This artist was greatly influenced by the Soga school paintings of Soga Chokuan and Soga Nichokan, who were active in the 16th and 17th Centuries. One of the features which distinguishes the Soga school is that their paintings are not merely stylized or idealized birds, but have a good deal of character and life. Soga artists painted birds of prey, hunters, alert and ready to move with great swiftness.

The type of the present painting is called akayo zu. It means \"Falcons on a Perch\" and depicts still falcons tied to a perch with cordons. The popularity of these types of paintings reflects the passion of the military class for falconry.

One of the main characteristics of this genre of work is the great detail given to the feathering of the falcon, the result of the artist\'s direct study from nature. But other important aspects are the decorations of the perches and the way the cordons are tied, all depicted with great realism.

The Falcon is known to be a clever and powerful bird. Many Japanese artists of the Edo period created their works for powerful men — the wealthy and mighty nobility and samurai who ruled Japan. These men saw themselves in the Falcon and his ruthless strength. Some samurai trained hawks as hunting birds or kept them as symbols of military might. They avidly collected paintings of Falcons to decorate their homes and to remind their guests, retainers and even their families that they themselves should be treated with the fear and respect that they imagined plagued the prey of these strong predators.

Our painting is a perfect example of akayo zu: a closely observed representation of a Falcon tethered to his perch by highly decorative cordons and gesses. The swivel holding the lavender colored leash and the hook of the yellow bar which hangs below the perch are painted inkindei, a technique of painting with powdered gold leaf suspended in an emulsion.

The attention to detail in this work is amazing. The braiding of the red cordons is carefully outlined, the yellow bar hanging below the wooden perch has a delicate design in red and the wood grain of the perch itself is beautifully painted. I have included some closeup photos of these elements, but the camera is no match for the brush here.

Every feather of the magnificent bird is painted with an exactitude which would put Audubon to shame.

This scroll measures 64 inches long and 22 inches wide, not including roller ends which are of beautifully turned wood wood. This painting is in very good condition for its some 314 or so years of life. It has been carefully kept by its successive owners. And the fact that the painting was expertly relined and stabilized shows that this painting has been prized for a long time. There are an expected number of small scuffs and lacunae and some small wrinkles but nothing which compromised the physical or aesthetic integrity of the image

The new mounting is in pristine condition. The top and bottom parts are made of a brocade with a chestnut brown ground and a large design of grasses in light and dark gold. The portion surrounding the painting is of a brocade with a red gold ground and a complex and fine design in metallic gold. And the two borders at the top and bottom of the painting have black ground with a design of a jumping fish against and delicate wave pattern, all in metallic gold.

This elegant mounting is a fine setting for the old painting and beautifully complements its warm tone.

The photos give a verygood idea of the excellence of this Hanging Scroll with its venerable and beautiful painting by a Soga school artist from the 1700\'s in the Edo Period.

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

And thanks for looking.

The painting on this scroll isaround 314 or so years old and has passed through many difficult times, including two World Wars,the Secondofwhich was disastrous for its native country. For an unframed work on such a delicate support as paper, it is remarkable that it has survived at all, let alone in such good condition. But this painting and similar works of art are not in absolutely perfect condition and they frequently show evidence of their long life. I endeavor to point out if and where there may be any damage but the photographs tell the whole story. Please examine them carefully. If you are looking for something with absolutely no signs of age, I am afraid you will have to look elsewhere. In short, these beautiful scrolls were not born yesterday.

I indicate the artist\'s name based on a signature and/or seal and also the style, but occasionally a scroll may be a copy of a work by a famous painter. In the present case,I am unable to identify the artist.

Due to the limitations of photography and the inevitable differences in monitor settings, the color of the pictures on your monitor may be slightly different from the scroll itself, but I did my best to capture it as it is. And, at least on my monitor, the color is a perfect match.

Winning buyers: please pay for your item within three days ofthis sale\'s close.

Foreign Buyers: please request an invoice with actual shipping costs before paying.

I am more than happy to offer reduced shipping costs or combined shipping if a buyer wins more than one sale within a week, even if the items cannot be shipped together.

Itry to do my very best in researching the itemsI sell, and include numerous photos. If you have any questions concerning a particular item, please contact me.

Items are sold as described in both words and pictures. Returns accepted only for inadvertent misrepresentation.

I aman artist/painter and a life-long antiques collector and dealer. I absolutely guarantee that every item isas described in my words and pictures. If you shouldhave any questions at all, please contact me, and I will respond as quickly as possible.

Buyer satisfaction is of paramount importance to me.If you have any questions at all about an item you have purchased from me,I will do everything possible to answer your concerns or rectify any inadvertent error. Please contact me before leaving neutral or negative response. I strive to keep a 100% customer satisfaction rate and will do whatever it takes to ensure that all buyers are happy with their purchases. response is very important to me. I always leave excellent response for buyers and I try to do whatever I can so that buyers will be happy to do the same for me.

If you like what you see here, please add meto your saved sellers list. I will have similaritems for your consideration nearly every week. And Thanks for looking.

I would be more than happy to answer any question you might have.