Japanese Paintings

A very beautiful large six-panel byôbu (room-divider) with a refined polychrome painting on paper of a pine tree (matsu) and two cranes (tsuru). In Japanese culture, the pine tree i...

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...

Moon and bamboo in ink on gold paper with red and black lacquered negoro frame. (Meiji period) Calligraphy reads: Beauty in ink painting with standing woods and branches, like in par...

Soft mineral pigments on silk with brocade border. Signature and seal read: Jyogyu

Watanabe Seitei, also known as Watanabe Shotei (1851–1918), was born in late Edo period. He was one of the earliest Japanese artists who visited and be...

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...

On mulberry paper with silk brocade. From the estate of Andrea Bollt. Artist's seal reads: Mitsushito (died 1922).

A set of three paintings of ink and watercolor on silk mounted within brocade borders as scrolls by Watanabe Seitei (1851-1918). This is a very rare an...

Japanese four-panel screen: Water landscape, Meiji period (1868-1912) painting of a waterfall on the left, leading to a meandering stream amongst a hi...

Japanese two-panel screen: Peony, Wisteria, cherry and bamboo on soft silver, Meiji period (1868-1912) painting of a garden in spring. Painted in mineral pigments on oxidized silver ...

Japanese Two Panel Screen: Hibiscus in Bloom, Meiji period (1868 - 1912) painting of hibiscus flowers reaching for the sun in full bloom. Mineral pigments on silk with a silk brocad...

Japanese two panel screen: Nara Deer in Gentle Yoshino Landscape. Yoshino is in the Nara Prefecture, an area famous for these small and tame deer native to J...

Japanese two panel screen: Summer flowers on silver. Meiji period painting (1868 - 1912) of Summer flowers including morning glories and daisies against a garden fence. Signature and...

Japanese two-panel screen: Whimsical beast. Wonderful, Meiji period (1868-1912) painting of a bellowing lion executed in a very fine style with excellent and thoughtful details. A tr...

Japanese Four Panel Screen: Early Spring Into Summer, Meiji period (1868 -1912) painting of plum in bloom with red camellias on the right and peony and thistle on the left. A clutc...