Japanese Silk Calligraphy Scroll

A bold brushed character swoops across a tiny sheet on a long mauve mount.

This calligraphy scroll is from Japan, and dates to the 19th century. It is ink on paper & silk. Calligraphy is regarded in Japan as a major art form, and hanging scrolls bearing brush-written text are traditionally displayed in the alcove of a room. A hanging scroll with a mauve-brown fabric mount and dark rollers at the bottom. A small white paper panel carries a large, curving black brushstroke with a few smaller characters and red seals at the left. It is 18.3 inches wide and 52 high.

One confident gesture, hung high and left to speak.