Yuki Ogura - One Hundred Longevities (書 百壽)

A rare auspicious work by master Nihonga painter Yuki Ogura (1895-2000), brushed in the very final years of her long life. The two large gold characters spell 'Hyakuju' — a classical Japanese expression meaning 'one hundred years of longevity,' alongside which the artist has inscribed 'one hundred and five years of age,' recording her own age at the time of creation. Two small blossoms in vivid red and green animate the lower composition, while at the lower right the artist has signed her art name 'Yuki' in ink and pressed her red intaglio seal. Awarded the Order of Culture in 1980, Ogura is celebrated as one of the most beloved female painters of modern Japan, renowned for her gentle figures and still lifes. The work is presented in a fine brocade-mat frame produced by the prestigious Okamura Tamondo workshop and is accompanied by a yellow protective cloth wrap and an outer storage box.

Artist: Yuki Ogura (Japan, 1895-2000)

Year: circa 1999

Medium: Painting

Materials: Gold pigment paint and mineral color pigments on dyed washi paper

Classification: Unique

Size: (H) 32.0 cm, (W) 43.0 cm. Framed size: (H) 47.0 cm, (W) 58.2 cm, (D) 4.5 cm.

Signature: Inked signature 'Yuki' and the artist's red seal at lower right; certifying paper label affixed to the reverse of the frame.