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19th Century Japanese Screen for Tea-Ceremony, Ink Bamboo and Plum on Gold Leaf

About the Item

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 Renzan of the Kishi school and Shiokawa Bunrin and Yokoyama Seiki of the Shijo school. Among his disciples were Kono Bairei and Kawabata Gyokusho, who also became important figures in the Kyoto art world.

Dimensions:
Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 74 in (187.96 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
Style:
Edo (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Gold Leaf,Paper,Wood,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
Mid-19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1850
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Kyoto, JP
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2472331424482