Daruma with calligraphy | Kanō Naonobu 狩野尚信 | 1607-1650 & Takuan Sōhō 澤庵宗彭 (letter text) | 1573-1645

This picture is a stroke of luck in two respects. Two outstanding personalities of the early 17th century are united here and certify each other's original quality with impeccable stamps and signatures. (The picture box also contains a certificate of authenticity.) But it is not just this undoubted authenticity that is pleasing; the picture as a whole, with its tasteful antique mounting and the ivory scroll attachments that have already turned cognac-colored due to age, is precious.  

The painter Kanō Naonobu is indisputably one of the greatest of his time; his Daruma reveals mastery of both freedom and precision of brushstroke as well as sensitivity in the concentration of ink. His Daruma (ie the monk Boddhidarma (440-528), who brought Zen from India to Asia) is exemplary in the perfection of his presentation.

Takuan Sōhō is a monk of the Rinzai sect who had the greatest influence on the Zen training of samurai. He was an advisor to the most important politicians and princes and left behind an impressive body of writing. His calligraphy is impressive due to the composure and inner certainty of the distribution of characters. Seriousness and elegance merge here in a wonderful way. The whole block of calligraphy, which looks somewhat Chinese, is set in perfect balance with the Daruma image.