Kristan Hauge Japanese Art
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Korean Chaekgeori painting. 19th Century Joseon. Books & Scholars’ Accouterments
Located in Kyoto, JP
Books and Scholars’ Accouterments; Chaekgeori
Second half of the 19th century
Korean framed panel. Ink and color on paper.
This Korean Chaekgeori painting depicts two open shelve...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Korean Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
Circa 1900 Japanese Screen. Cherry Blossoms in Moonlight. Meiji period.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kobayashi Shosen (1877-1946)
Cherry Blossoms in Moonlight
Six-panel Japanese Screen. Ink, color and gofun on paper.
The image depicts a stunning scene captured on a six-panel Japa...
Category
Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
Circa 1950 Japanese Screen. Surrealist Nihon-ga Landscape.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Anonymous
Surrealist Landscape
Showa era, circa 1950
Four-panel Japanese Screen, pigment on paper.
A post World War 2 Japanese nihon-ga screen de...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
17th Century Japanese Screen. Karako Asobi: Chinese Children at Play.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Anonymous Kano school artist
17th century
"Karako Asobi: Chinese Children at Play"
A two-panel Japanese Furosaki screen. Ink, pigment, gofun and gold-leaf on paper.
This small Japanese Karako folding screen vividly depicts various games played by children wearing wearing elaborate Chinese T'ang dynasty costumes. They are dressed in plumed and tasseled hats, ornate jackets, baggy pants, and cloth slippers typical of T'ang period Chinese court dress. The children are depicted pulling a younger child along in a cart, carrying another child as if an important official, riding a wooden horse, leading a puppy and carrying a tethered bird. Executed in fine-quality pigments on gold leaf, the detail, variety and size of the figures is noteworthy. Also notable is the size of this screen itself, which denotes it as a Furosaki screen. A Furosaki screen is part of the equipment used for the Japanese tea-ceremony. It is traditionally placed on tatami mats behind the brazier highlighting the utensils and providing a focal point.
Karako is a Japanese term used in art with the depiction of Chinese children playing...
Category
Antique 17th Century Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
18th Century Japanese Screen Pair. Plum & Young Pines. Kano School.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Dimensions (Each screen): H. 176 cm x W. 378 cm (69’’ x 149’’)
This pair of Japanese folding screens depict blossoming plum trees amongst young pines. They are designed to capture t...
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen. Taisho era Circa 1920. Pheasant in Deep Forest. Color on Silk.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Osawa Tokan (b. 1899)
In the Forest
Two-panel Japanese screen. Ink, color and gofun on silk.
A major work of oversized proportions combining an intimate, naturalistic depiction of...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Circa 1900 Japanese Pine Screen Pair. Aged Dragons by Suzuki Shonen.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Suzuki Shonen (1848-1918)
Aged Dragons
Meiji period (1868-1912). Circa 1900.
A pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink and gold leaf on paper.
As with the pair of Shonen pine scr...
Category
Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Late 17th Century Japanese Screen. Puppy and Kittens on Gold Leaf.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Anonymous
Late 17th century
Puppy & Kittens
A six-panel Japanese screen. Ink, color, gofun, gold-leaf and gold-fleck on paper.
A medium sized late 17th century Japanese screen fe...
Category
Antique Late 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Circa 1920 Japanese Screen. Cat & Mouse Harvest Scene on Gold Silk.
Located in Kyoto, JP
The narrative playfulness of the scene depicted on this Japanese screen sets alight what is at its core a celebration of a bountiful harvest. The screen offers a visual representatio...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold
19th Century Japanese Screen, Deer in Spring, Maruyama Shijo School
Located in Kyoto, JP
A six-panel Japanese folding screen from the leading Maruyama-Shijo artist Okamoto Toyohiko (1773-1845). Simply featuring three deer and a few sprigs of foliage on a sumptuous gold-leaf background this work emphasizes naturalistic expression and a masterful use of negative space. Reduced to its most basic elements, the blank spaces inspire imagination and evoke the smells, sounds and even the weather of the scene. Whilst deer are traditionally depicted in association with autumn, here the green growth on the tops of the foliage indicates the season of spring. The work references Maruyama Okyo’s two-panel deer screen...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Japanese Screen Pair. Flowers & Birds of the Four Seasons
Located in Kyoto, JP
Flowers & Birds of the Four Seasons
Pair of six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink, color, gofun and gold on paper.
Second half of the 19th Centur...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Paper
Mid-18th Century Japanese Screen Pair, One Hundred Flowers, Chrysanthemums
Located in Kyoto, JP
Omori Soun (b. 1704)
Chrysanthemums - One Hundred Flowers
A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper.
Dating ...
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Japanese Screen Pair - Ink Pine Trees on Gold
Located in Kyoto, JP
Imao Keisho (1902-1993)
Pine Trees
Early 20th Century, Circa 1930
Pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink on silk and gold leaf.
Dimensions: Each screen H. 67.5” x 148” (172 cm x 376 cm)
A pair of monumental six-panel Japanese pine screens by the renowned Nihonga artist Imao Keisho. Here Keisho entirely removed the background and brought the pine trees to the surface of the painting. This simplification of the elements makes the scene exceptionally direct and compelling and injects a very modern...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Showa Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
17th Century Japanese Screen. Ink Plum Tree & Birds by Kano Naonobu.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kano Naonobu (1607-1650)
Plum Tree and Birds
Six-fold Japanese Screen. Ink and slight color on paper.
In this evocative ink work spread over a six-panel folding screen, we see the consummation of the elegance and refinement of the Edo Kano school. This 17th century screen is a rare surviving example of a large-scale bird and flower painting by Kano Naonobu, the younger brother of Kano Tanyu...
Category
Antique 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Paper
17th Century Japanese Screen Pair. Tiger & Dragon by Kaiho Yusetsu
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677)
Tiger and Dragon
Early Edo Period, Circa 1650
A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink and slight color on paper.
Dimensions:
Each screen: H. 171 cm x W. 380 cm (67.5’’ x 149.5’’)
In this pair of early Edo period Japanese screens a group of tigers prowl in a bamboo grove whipped with fierce wind, while a dragon claws through clouds and mist. The dragon embodies elemental qualities - looming out of the mist, the coils of its body disappearing in the clouds. The dragon is calling for rain, symbolizing spring which is considered the fountain of life. On the other side, the tigers calls for the wind, symbolizing autumn which is considered the end of life. Tigers were familiar motifs within Japanese art from ancient times though the animals were imaginary to the people in the 17th century. While dragons and tigers are usually associated as sacred and ferocious, in this painting, both animals have rather amusing expressions. The tigers appear to glare at the dragon with cat-like eyes, and the look on the swirling dragon’s face appears almost affectionate - lending a playful flair to an otherwise magnificent theme.
The tiger and dragon are cosmological symbols of the balancing forces in the world. Screens such as this were originally meant to express the fluctuating nature of the world. For Japanese in the early Edo period, they likely suggested the powers of the cosmos. In Japan the tiger and dragon motif was originally absorbed into the circles of Zen monasteries before spreading into the secular world. The theme especially appealed to the military classes with the Kano school, the official painters to the Shogun and the samurai, being the leading contributors. The painter of this pair of screens, Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677), was closely patronized by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. In his later years he worked with Kano school artists...
Category
Antique Mid-17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk, Wood, Paper
Early 20th Century Japanese Cherry Blossom Screen by Kano Sanrakuki
Located in Kyoto, JP
Cherry Blossoms
Kano Sanrakuki (1898-1981)
Showa period, circa 1930
2-panel Japanese Screen
Color, gofun and gold leaf on paper
Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground, the lichen covered trunk and branches of the life-sized cherry blossom tree reach out and beyond the confines of the pictorial surface. The overall composition has a feeling of flatness which draws emphasis to the surface and the three-dimensionality of the cherry blossoms. Painstakingly built-up layers of thickly applied shell-white gofun detail the voluminous blossoms and cover large areas of this tour-de-force of Japanese Nihonga painting. By simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and depicting the blossoms with such heavy relief, the artist has emphasized the stunning presence of the cherry tree. The type of tree depicted is the Yae-Zakura; a double-layered type of cherry blossom famed for its beauty and strength. When we think of Japanese cherry blossoms, the first thing that comes to mind is Somei Yoshino variety, which has a single flower with five almost white petals. This type is fragile and easily blown away by strong wind or rain. Most of the double-flowered cherry blossoms begin to bloom when the Somei-Yoshino falls, and the flowering period lasts longer than that of the Somei-Yoshino.
Kano Sanrakuki originally studied painting at the Kyoto City Arts and Crafts School under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Showa Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Japanese Screen for Tea-Ceremony, Ink Bamboo and Plum on Gold Leaf
Located in Kyoto, JP
Three Friends of Winter
Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871)
Late Edo period, circa 1850
Ink and gold leaf on paper.
This is a double-sided Japanese Furosaki or tea-ceremony screen from the mid 19th century; bamboo and plum on the front, young pines the back. It by Nakajima Raisho, a master painter of the Maruyama school in the late Edo and early Meiji periods. In this work Raisho combines exquisite ink brushwork with large open spaces of brilliant gold-leaf to inspire the viewers imagination. Rather than naturalism, he is searching for the phycological impression of the motifs, resulting in abstraction and stylization. His simplification of the motifs the result of looking to capture the inner nature of the objects. This art motif is known as Sho Chiku Bai, or the Three Friends of Winter. Evergreen pine connotes steadfastness, bamboo suggests both strength and flexibility, while plum blossoms unfurling on snow-laden branches imply hardiness. Combined, this trio is emblematic of Japanese new year. Chinese literati were the first to group the three plants together due to their noble characteristics. Like these resilient plants flowering so beautifully in winter, it was expected of the scholar-gentleman to cultivate a strong character with which he would be able to show the same degree of perseverance and steadfastness even during times of adverse conditions.
The screen would have been placed near the hearth of a room used for the Japanese tea ceremony, shielding the fire from draughts and also forming a stimulating and decorative backdrop behind the tea utensils. It would have been used in the Hatsugama, or first tea-ceremony of the new year.
Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871) originally studied under Watanabe Nangaku before entering the school of Maruyama Ozui. He was the highest ranking Maruyama school painter at the end of the Edo period and was known as one of the ‘Four Heian Families’ along with Kishi...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Meiji Period Japanese Screen Pair, One Hundred Birds by Hasegawa Gyokujun
Located in Kyoto, JP
One hundred birds
Hasegawa Gyokujun (1863-1921)
Meiji period, circa 1900.
Ink, color and gofun on silk.
Dimensions of each screen:
H. 170 cm x W. 190 cm (67’’ x 75”)
Despite the title, well over 100 birds are represented in this pair of two-fold Japanese screens (the title functions figuratively to convey the idea of a large number). The monumental work is rendered with a comprehensive and highly complex composition which is exquisitely executed and meticulously colored. More a celebration of naturalism than the traditional “One Hundred Birds” paintings which originated in China. This was a subject matter known for its auspicious meaning as much as its actual depiction of nature. These paintings generally had a phoenix (occasionally peacocks) placed in the center, and the other birds paying homage to it.
In this quintessentially Japanese scene painted by Gyokujun, a couple of long-tailed birds modeled after paradise flycatchers are included; these are traditional auspicious motifs in Oriental bird and flower painting and denote themes such as celebration and enduring generations. In addition there is the playful inclusion of single exotic parrot. Even so, the vast majority of the birds and flowers are native to Japan. Reading the scene from right to left, from spring through to autumn, the overwhelming sense is one of movement and haste. It is almost as if the birds are in a race, with the fleetest leading the way forward. Although these native birds were commonly drawn amongst artists of the Shijo school, rarely were they painted with such drama and dynamism. It is not strictly a depiction of sketched birds whose manner was faithfully handed down through the traditions of the Shijo school. Rather we see Gyokujun seeking and achieving new expressions in the heart of the turbulent Meiji period.
Hasegawa Gyokujun (1863-1921) was born in Kyoto. He was the eldest son of Hasegawa Gyokuho, a Shijo school painter who studied under Matsumura Keibun. Gyokujun studied painting under his father and became a prominent member of the Kyoto painti
ng world from a young age. In 1891 he established the ‘Young Painters Social Club’ along with Takeuchi Seiho, Miyake Gogyo and Taniguchi Kokyo. Also in 1891 he was selected as a judge of the Great Private Paintings Exhibition along with Takeuchi Seiho, Yamamoto Shunkyo...
Category
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk, Wood
Early 19th Century Japanese Screen. Cherry Blossom & Pheasants by Mori Tetsuzan
Located in Kyoto, JP
Mori Tetsuzan (1775-1841)
Pheasants and Cherry Blossoms
Two-fold Japanese screen. Ink, color, gofun, gold and silver on paper.
A two-fold Japanese bir...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
17th Century Japanese Screen Pair, Cranes
Located in Kyoto, JP
Cranes
Anonymous, Kano School.
Edo period, second half of the 17th century.
Pair of six-panel screens. Ink, pigment gofun and gold l...
Category
Antique 1670s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Japanese Shunga Hand-Scroll, Katsukawa School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Shunga
Unknown artist
Meiji era, circa 1880
Hand-scroll mounted with 12 paintings
Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Dimensions:
Each image measures H. 23.2 cm x W. 34.4 cm (9.15” x 13.5”)
The hand-scroll measures H. 28 cm x W. 540 cm (11” x 212”)
A set of 12 late 19th century Japanese Shunga paintings mounted as a hand-scroll. Two of the leaves bear the signature and seal ‘Setsuzan’, although we are unable to confirm the identity of the artist using this art name. 6 of the 12 images are taken almost directly from Katsukawa Shuncho’s late 18th century woodblock series, ‘Erotic Pictures...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Japanese Silver Screen Pair, Meiji Period, Herons & Plovers, Shijo School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Heron & Plovers
Ink and silver leaf on paper
Maekawa Bunrei (1837-1917)
A pair of low six-panel Japanese screens by Maekawa Bunrei, a later master of the Kyoto based Shijo school of painting. On the right screen a solitary white heron stands motionless in a stream. On the left screen plovers play along a shoreline. The elegant forms are executed employing fluid, minimalistic ink brushstrokes. The soft brushstrokes and the sharp light of the silver leaf lend the scenes a sense of translucence. The sophisticated composition superbly exploits the long, horizontal pictorial surface of the pair of folding screens...
Category
Antique Early 1900s Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silver Leaf
19th Century Japanese Scroll Painting, Birds & Flowers of the Four Seasons
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds and flowers of the four seasons
Early to mid-19th century
Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Unidentified artist
Signature: S...
Category
Antique 1830s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Japanese Screen Pair, Tigers by Kishi Renzan, Late Edo Period
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kishi Renzan (1804-1859)
Tigers
Pair of six-panel Japanese screens.
Ink and gold-leaf on paper.
In this monochromatic pair of six-fold Japanese screens painted on gold-leaf, Kishi Renzan has created a breathtaking composition of a family of tigers. The screens are filled with a sense of drama which is conveyed by both the subject matter and the wet, expressive brushwork. The running mountain stream and the towering waterfall allude to refreshment during the summer months and we feel the tiger families familiarity and security within their environment. Renzan’s master, Kishi Ganku...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
circa 1930 Japanese Silver Screens by Isoi Joshin, Flowers of the Four Seasons
Located in Kyoto, JP
Flowers of the four seasons
Isoi Joshin (1883-1964)
Pair of six-panel Japanese screens
Ink, pigment, lacquer and silver leaf on pa...
Category
Mid-20th Century Asian Showa Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silver Leaf
Early 20th Century Japanese Screen Pair, Fig Trees by Hiroe Kashu 'B.1890'
Located in Kyoto, JP
Fig Trees
Hiroe Kashu (b.1890)
Taisho era, circa 1920
Pair of six-fold Japanese screens
Ink, malachite, gold and silver on paper
Dimensions:
Each Screen measures H...
Category
Early 20th Century Asian Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold, Silver
19th Century Japanese Scroll Painting by Igarashi Chikusa, Poppies & Butterflies
Located in Kyoto, JP
Poppies & Butterflies
Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Igarashi Chikusa (1774-1844)
Signature: Chikusa Ran Zen
Upper Seal: Ran Shuzen
Lower Seal: Kyoho
Dimensions:
Scroll: H. 68” x W. 18” (172cm x 45cm)
Image: H. 38.5’’ x W. 12.5’’ (98cm x 32cm)
This composition shows elegant images of poppies and the butterflies that are inevitably drawn to them. It captures a momentary glimpse into a world both visually dazzling and startlingly realistic. The painting is infused with sensitivity and attention to seasonal change and weather conditions. The thin and fragile poppies are beautifully depicted with brilliant colors and the butterflies are similarly infused with life. The painting is on silk which requires extremely precise painting skills as no element once painted can be removed.
Poppies were a favorite subject of Rinpa school artists through the ages. Originally they were somewhat abstracted but by the age of Sakai Hoitsu...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Meiji Era, Circa 1900 Japanese Screen Pair, Flowers & Birds of Spring & Autumn
Located in Kyoto, JP
Flowers & Birds of Spring and Autumn
Unknown artist.
Japan. Meiji period, circa 1900.
A pair of six-fold screens. Ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper.
Signed: Gaga S...
Category
Antique 1890s Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Crane, Pine & Camelia
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & Flowers of the Seasons
Pheasants & Plum in Snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Cherry Blossom & Birds
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & flowers of the seasons
Pheasants & plum in snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Sparrows & Nandina
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & flowers of the seasons
Pheasants & plum in snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Phoenix & Paulownia
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & Flowers of the seasons
Pheasants & Plum in Snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Peacock & Bamboo
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & Flowers of the Seasons
Pheasants & Plum in Snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Turtles & Azalea
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & flowers of the seasons
Pheasants & plum in snow
Unframed painting. Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
19th Century Japanese Silk Painting by Kano Chikanobu, Pheasants & Plum in Snow
Located in Kyoto, JP
Birds & Flowers of the Seasons
Pheasants & Plum in Snow
Ink, pigment and gofun on silk
Kano Chikanobu 1819-1888
Signature: Chikanobu
Seal: Shateki
Offered here is an unframed ‘kacho-e’ painting by the 19th century Japanese Takamatsu domain painter Kano Chikanobu. There are 8 individual paintings available, which originally would have been part of a set of 12. ‘Kacho-e’ literally means ‘pictures of birds and flowers’. In reality it covers a wide range of natural motifs including birds, fish, insects and small animals in combination with flowers, grasses or trees. The theme has a long history in Japanese painting. It is one of three painting genres, the other two being landscape and figure, which derive from Chinese academic painting classification. As one of the accepted types of painting to be shown in official residences, scenes of birds, flowers and animals were rife with metaphorical reference as well as physical beauty.
In these paintings Chikanobu has made conspicuous use of brilliant pigments and meticulous brushwork. The rocks, water, trees, blossoms, and birds are treated as stylized formal elements in a grand design. All of the components contribute to the patterned effect and tactile richness of the surface. Beyond their highly decorative qualities, the subject of some of the paintings are also an allusion to imperial allegiance; the pheasants are symbolic of bravery and steadfastness, peacocks represent divinity and power, and the phoenix paired with paulownia a just and benevolent ruler. Cranes and turtles symbolize longevity, and the lush, full bloom of the peony flower represents wealth and opulence. Paintings of native Japanese birds and flowers were appreciated primarily for their evocation of the seasons and the traditional poetic emotions associated with them. This is the case with the spring scene of cherry blossoms and birds and the winter scene of narcissus, nandina and sparrows. The rich expression of flower and bird paintings...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Circa 1700 Japanese Screen Pair, Cranes & Pines, Kyoto Kano School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Pines and Cranes
Anonymous. Kyoto Kano School.
Late 17th/early 18th centuries, circa 1700.
Pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens.
Ink, gofun, pigment and gold leaf on paper.
This bold composition presents two pine trees extending to the left and right across a gold leaf background. One tree is silhouetted against a green ground, golden clouds obscuring its true size, the other stretches across a stylized waterway. The pines are paired with Manchurian cranes with red crests and snow white plumage. Both have been highly auspicious motifs in East Asia since Chinese antiquity. Here the artist utilized fluid and instinctive ink brushstrokes to define the trunk, branches and tail feathers, in strong contrast to the precision and sharp angularity of the crane’s legs and beaks. The adoption of this vast metallic painting support required an unerring sense of design and composition, so that the negative space surrounding motifs could imply context for the otherwise floating pictorial elements. The brushwork detailing the trunks of the pines, the exaggerated dimensions of the pine trees and the strength and dynamism of the composition are all reminiscent of Kano Eitoku...
Category
Antique Late 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Late 18th Century Japanese Framed Painting, God of Thunder by Yamaguchi Soken
Located in Kyoto, JP
Raijin - God of Thunder
Yamaguchi Soken (1759-1818)
Mid to Late Edo period, circa 1800.
Framed painting. Ink and light color on paper.
This humorous painting depicts the Thunder God, Raijin, tumbling from the sky, presumably being struck down by one of his own lighting bolts. He clings to one drumstick as the other is in free-fall along with his Taiko drums...
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
17th Century Korean Grapevine and Squirrel Scroll Painting, Mid Joseon Period
Located in Kyoto, JP
Anonymous. Korean, 17th century. Joseon period.
Hanging scroll. Ink on paper.
Seal: Shinso
Dimensions:
Scroll: H. 200 cm x W. 31 cm (79” x 12”)
Image: H. 122 cm x W. 29.5 cm (48” x 11.5”)
The grapevine came to China and then Korea from western Asia via the silk road trade routes. By the mid-Joseon period, it was one of the most popular subjects for Korean literati painters. Grapevines were painted as a singular subject or, less commonly, in combination with squirrels, which are associated with children due to their playful nature. Together, grapevines and squirrels embody wishes for abundant offspring and wealth.
For the Korean literati artist the twisting vines, curling tendrils and round, plump grapes provided ample opportunity for expressive "brush play”. In this painting the artist has abstracted the scene and is seemingly unconcerned with discontinuities and proportion. Vines spring up from nowhere, grapes hang in random clusters and the squirrel’s head appears as if twisted backwards. For the vines and leaves we can feel a sense of speed in the brushstrokes, imparting a dynamic feel which is at once intense and animated. This contrasts dramatically with the countless tiny strokes of ink which realistically capture the texture of the squirrel’s fur...
Category
Antique 17th Century Korean Other Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
Early 20th Century Pair of Japanese Folding Screens, Deer Under Maple Trees
Located in Kyoto, JP
Deer under maples
Late Taisho period, circa 1925-1930
Pair of two-panel screens. Ink and pigment on silk.
Signature: Goho
Seal: Goho
A pair of two-fold Japanese silk screens...
Category
Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Paper, Silk
17th Century Japanese Framed Painting by Kano Sansetsu, Plum Blossoms in Snow
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kano Sansetsu (1589-1651)
Plum blossoms in snow
Edo period, circa 1640
Framed painting. Ink on paper.
Kano Sansetsu is a Japanese painter who...
Category
Antique 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
17th Century Japanese Framed Panel by Kano Sansetsu, White Herons in Snow
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kano Sansetsu (1589-1651)
White herons in snow
Edo period, circa 1640
Framed painting. Ink on paper.
Kano Sansetsu is a Japanese painter who ...
Category
Antique 17th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
17th Century Japanese Screen Pair by Soga Nichokuan, Hawks on Pine & Plum Trees
Located in Kyoto, JP
Hawks on plum and pine
Soga Nichokuan (active circa 1625-1660)
Pair of six-fold screens.
Ink, mineral pigments, gofun, gold and speckled gold leaf on paper.
Upper seal: H...
Category
Antique 1640s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Paper
Early 20th Century Japanese Framed Painting, White Peacocks on Silk and Gold
Located in Kyoto, JP
Kasahara Seiken
White peacocks,
circa 1916
Framed painting. Ink, color and gofun on silk.
A Taisho period Japanese nihonga painting depicting a pair of white peacocks re...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Small Japanese Screen Pair, Pine Trees and Vines on Gold Leaf
Located in Kyoto, JP
This pair of screens depict just the middle sections of aged pine trees, painted in bold brush strokes on a background of gold leaf clouds. The trees are draped in vines, the lush cr...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen Painting, circa 1700 'Horses' by Kano Tanshin
Located in Kyoto, JP
Horses
Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718)
Two-panel tea-ceremony Japanese screen or furosaki
Ink on gold leaf,
late 17th-early 18th century
Measures: H 55 cm x W 182 cm
The Kano school was closely aligned with the warrior class in Japan. The samurai, who lived in a closed and rigid hierarchical society established by the Shogunate, were drawn to the energy and freedom horses symbolize; Kano school artists commonly depicted the equine creatures as they are here, in unfettered and carefree family groups. China originally introduced horse paintings to Japan; the works typically focused on capturing the essence of horses in their various environments and often involved integrating human figures into the images.
Kano Tanshin Morimasa (1653-1718) was the son of Kano Tanyu...
Category
Antique 1690s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen Pair, circa 1730, Peacocks and Phoenix, Kano School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Phoenix and Peacocks.
A pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens by Tsunetake Yotei (n.d.)
First half of the 18th century.
The signature reads 67 year old Tsunetake.
The seals read:
-Tsunetake no in,
-Yotei,
-Seishin
Dimensions:
Each screen – H. 69” x W. 149” (176 cm x 378 cm)
A pair of Kano Grand Picture (Waga) screens depicting phoenix and peacocks rich with symbolic meaning. Dating to the first half of the 18th century, from the Kobikicho Kano school in Edo, this pair of folding...
Category
Antique Early 18th Century Asian Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen Painting, Early 19th Century, Autumn Flowers by Sakai Hoitsu
Located in Kyoto, JP
A two-fold Japanese screen by the Rimpa school artist Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828), Japan, 19th century, Edo period.
This small Japanese folding screen pai...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Silk
Japanese Painting. Bird and Flower. 19th century copy of Lu Ji by Ogata Tomin.
Located in Kyoto, JP
Ogata Tomin (1839 -1895)
Birds in a spring landscape
Ink and colour on silk.
Inscription reads:
“Copy of Lu Ji, painted with heartfelt appreciation”
“Painted by Tomin Ogat...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Ming Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Japanese Scroll Painting, 19th Century Chinese Pheasants by Yoshizawa Setsuan
Located in Kyoto, JP
Chinese Pheasants
Yoshizawa Setsuan (1809-1889)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk.
Painting inscription: Setsuan Houyou
Upper seal: Y...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Asian Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Japanese Painting, Hanging Scroll, 19th Century Bamboo in Moonlight
Located in Kyoto, JP
Bamboo in moonlight
Gamo Rakan (1784-1866)
Hanging scroll, ink on silk.
Dimensions:
Scroll: 201 cm x 58 cm
Image: 137 cm x 45 cm
In this early 19th century work by Gamo Rakan a light ink wash applied to the silk background silhouettes the moon and suggests the atmosphere of early evening. Even though it is a literati subject, Rakan’s bamboo is quite realistic with a strong decorative style. The painting finds its inspiration from Chinese Ming dynasty painters who often used a single-tone, jet black stroke to emphasize the calligraphic nature of bamboo.
In a different era, decorative would have been seen as somewhat unrefined. But increasingly in the Edo period, it was the hallmark of high style. The Japanese people, in particular the rising merchant class, had gradually become apathetic toward the traditional Sesshu and Kano schools of painting. Chinese professional and amateur painters living in the port of Nagasaki during the 18th century had a profound effect on Japanese painting and the freshness of their style and its decorative appeal contributed greatly to its popularity. Gamo Rakan’s teacher, Tani Buncho...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Japanese Screen pair. Late 19th Century. Ink Pine Trees on Gold by Suzuki Shonen
Located in Kyoto, JP
Suzuki Shonen (1848-1918)
Meiji period (1868-1912), late 19th century.
Twisted pines
Pair of six-fold screens. Ink on a gold leaf ground.
Sig...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
18th Century Japanese Floral Paintings, Set of 5, Mineral Pigments on Gold Leaf
Located in Kyoto, JP
A set of 5 Japanese floral paintings from the 18th century. Each painted with mineral pigments directly applied to gold leaf. They were originally designed to be mounted on the leave...
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen, Early 20th Century Wagtail & Chrysanthemum by Ishizaki Koyo
Located in Kyoto, JP
Ishizaki Koyo (1884-1947)
Wagtail & Chrysanthemum
Early 20th century
Folding screen in two-panels. Ink, pigments and gofun on gold leaf.
Sign: Koyo
Seal: Koyo
This ...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese Screen Painting, Cat & Pumpkin Patch. Showa Era, 1940s
Located in Kyoto, JP
Chuichi Konno (1915-2006)
Cat and Pumpkin Patch
Showa period, 1940s.
Folding screen in two-panels. Painted on paper with mineral pigments and gofun.
Sign: Chuichi
Sea...
Category
Vintage 1940s Japanese Showa Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper, Wood
Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, Dahlias and Roosters, circa 1920
Located in Kyoto, JP
Tanaka Tessen (b.1890)
Dahlias and Roosters
Taisho period, circa 1920
Framed painting. Mineral pigments and ink on silk.
Dimensions (framed):
H. 159 cm x W. 97 cm x D. 2.5 cm (62.5” x 38” x 1”)
An ornate and complex composition in which the artist explores almost the entire painting surface. The coloration is bold and evocative and the tinted silk ground recreates the warm golden glow of sunset. Soft, luminous brushwork details the black feathers of the roosters, which seem to cloud and blur in counterpoint to the sharper points of the eyes and beaks. Their brilliant red combs balance the composition, echoing the rich burgundy hues of the dahlias; the flowers exquisite and lifelike. Dahlias were an exotic subject favored by painters of the Taisho era.
The painting belongs to the school of Kyoto Nihonga, exemplifying the principles of decorative elegance and consumate brush technique with which it was intimately associated. Painters of the time relied on the Shijo school method, basing the forms of the composition from life sketches. Sometimes they were then integrated with elements derived from Chinese bird and flower...
Category
Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk, Wood
Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, Willow and Sparrows, circa 1920 Taisho era
Located in Kyoto, JP
Anonymous
Summer willow and sparrows
Taisho period, circa 1920
Framed painting. Mineral pigments, mica, gold, ink and gofun on silk
Dimensions (framed):
H. 98 cm x W. 135 cm x D...
Category
Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Silk
Japanese Framed Silk Painting, Turtledoves and Peaches, Taisho Era, circa 1920
Located in Kyoto, JP
Nakamura Daizaburo
Turtledoves in a Peach Tree
Taisho period, circa 1920
Framed painting. Mineral pigments, ink and gofun on silk
Signed: Daizaburo
Dimensions (framed)...
Category
Vintage 1910s Japanese Taisho Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood, Silk
Japanese Screen, 19th Century, Rabbits and Horsetail Reeds on Silver Leaf
By Nenma
Located in Kyoto, JP
Unknown artist
Rabbits and Horsetail Reeds
Painted in the Year of the Fire Dog, 1826 or 1886. 19th century.
The scene depicted here is set under moonlight, with two hares hi...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silver Leaf
Japanese Painting, Hanging Scroll, Mid 19th Century, Koi and Water Plants
By Iwase Hirotaka
Located in Kyoto, JP
Iwase Hirotaka (1808-1877)
Koi and Water Plants
Hanging scroll, ink, color, gold wash and gold flecks on silk
Inscription: Hirotaka
Seal: Ille...
Category
Antique 1860s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
1844 - Chichi, Japanese Scroll Painting. Colour on Silk
Located in Kyoto, JP
Mother’s Breast (Chichi) 1844
Hanging scroll. Ink, pigments and gofun on silk.
Inscription:
Kouka era, dragon year, late winter, painted by Shozan Yashou
Artist’ seals:
...
Category
Antique 1840s Japanese Edo Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
