Japanese mixed-media work on paper, “Virtuous Woman” (善女人棚), after Munakata Shikō, 1950s

Expressive Japanese work on paper, executed in mixed media with calligraphy and a red hanko seal. The portrait depicts a stylised female figure set against soft horizontal bands of pink, green and yellow. Loose, energetic black brushlines sweep across the surface, creating rhythm and tension. The contrast between the gentle colour fields and the bold, graphic linework gives the piece a distinctly modern presence with a quiet, poetic mood.

Dimensions: height 43 cm, width 40.5 cm, depth 3 cm.

The inscriptions are clear and well preserved. At the lower left on the front, the name 棟方志功 (Munakata Shikō) appears in calligraphy, accompanied by a red seal. On the reverse, the original label bears the wording 模棟方志功, indicating that the work was consciously made in Munakata’s tradition and visual language. The right column on the label gives the title 善女人棚 (Zennyonin-dana), which can be read as “the shelf/altar of the virtuous woman”, a poetic, lightly spiritual designation.

Condition: good overall, with minor age-related wear consistent with the paper and technique. Professionally framed with mount and ready to hang.