KANO SOEKI KAGENOBU (1786-1870) EDO OR MEIJI, 19TH CENTURY A Japanese kakemono (hanging scroll painting), ink on paper, depicting two gibbons on a rocky outcrop, one pointing towards the sky and the other looking down at the reflection of the moon in a pool of water, inscribed `monkey and moon`, signed Kano Soeki hitsu and sealed Kano, 110cm x 17cm. Provenance: from the collection of Dr Oliver Impey (1936-2005), and Dr Jane (Mellanby) Impey (1938-2021), of Cumnor Place, Oxford. This painting depicts a common story in Zen Buddhism: five hundred monkeys held onto each other`s tails to catch the reflection of the moon in a well. They failed and as the branch from which they were hanging suddenly broke, they understood their mistake. This story symbolises the unenlightened people who cannot distinguish between reality and illusion.