Japanese Calligraphy – 'Winter Plum Blossom as Jade', Wall Decoration, 1950s

Beautiful horizontal Japanese calligraphy on silk, mounted on blue-grey brocade with a fine floral motif and finished in a slender black frame. The four large characters read right to left: 寒 梅 玉 枝 (kan-bai-gyoku-shi), literally “winter plum, jade branch.” In Japanese painting and poetry this is a cherished image: the plum that blooms in the cold stands for resilience and refinement; “as jade” praises the pure, noble beauty of a quiet branch.

Dimensions: height 52 cm, width 120 cm, depth 2 cm.

The brushwork is strong and lively: full, ink-rich strokes that deliberately break to a “dry” texture in places, revealing the fibrous structure of the silk. This creates a balanced play between energy and stillness—a subtle fude-sabi.

On the left runs a longer inscription with the calligrapher’s name. Two red hanko seals are stamped at the lower left and a third, elongated seal at the upper right, completing the work as a fully signed piece.

A highly decorative work for above a sideboard, tokonoma, or long wall: restrained, zen, and unmistakably Japanese. In good, authentic condition with minor age traces to support and frame appropriate to its age.