2012年 水松石山房主人 （生於1943年）

設墨紙本 卷軸
「水松石山房」「攜杖老人」「人磨墨墨磨人」及「蓮中仙（圖像）」印

The overall condition is extremely good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

INSCRIPTION:

The Cascade Master was legendary among the Brethren of the Staff.  It is said that at the height of his powers he could reverse a water-fall and make the water flow upwards.  When I sought him out as the Song came under pressure from the North, I saw him perform such feats as would make me believe it possible, although I never saw him do it.  In most cases such hyperbole is metaphoric rather than literal. In his case it was well-earned as through all the centuries I rarely met his match.  He made all his own staves and was among the earlier masters to favour, and thereby foster, the naturalistic staff wherein one might encounter all manner of strange creatures.  He was particularly fond of vines, for their convoluted, ancient resonance and their ready acceptance of editing to bring out the best in them.  He felt that by subtly revealing with the song of the chisel a staff’s likenesses and quirks, he could infuse it with additional powers, encouraging it and strengthening the bond between him and the staff so that both would perform better.  He also spent a great deal of time patinating his staves for the same reason.  He believed that even if a staff was recently made, he could stimulate over months and years the natural processes of ageing through weathering, re-lacquering, polishing and smoothing under the hand, and it gave the staff greater depth and feeling and that, in turn, would infuse him with greater powers to wield it.  I have no idea how old he was, but he was clearly well beyond the thrall of ordinary time.  He must have made many vine staves over his lifetime, but when I met him he had seven to which he cleaved, some of them more ancient than others.  In his mountain home, each had its own particular resting place when not in use.  Two hung from beams on rustic hooks made of strangely shaped roots, two more rested on strange stones he had gathered from the mountains, a fifth was wrapped in a deerskin bag resting on a crude bench beside the door, one was stuck upright in the ground in a dark corner, while the last was usually set casually on the hearth to one side or the other of the fire.  Here I paint from memory a little likeness of ‘Guardian of the Falls,’ a remarkable staff the powers of which I was unable to release fully, but with which I once saw him summon up a storm after orchestrating the clouds at sunset and cause lightning to dance among the distant peaks like drunken brush-strokes.

Guardian of the Falls

One of the seven vine staves of the Cascade Master inscribed by the Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat at the Terrace of the Garden at the Edge of the Universe in the spring of 2012.