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Edo Paintings

EDO STYLE

Edo furniture was created during a flourishing time for the decorative arts owing to the stability of the Tokugawa shogunate rule in Japan. Spanning from 1603 to 1867, this era of peace and economic growth supported artistic advancements in lacquer, woodblock printing, porcelain and other artisanal trades. Because the country was largely isolated, there was little outside influence, leading to centuries of exceptional attention to the design of its furnishings and the quality of its traditional arts.

Unlike during the Meiji period that followed, with an increase in domestic and international markets, furniture during the Edo period was predominately commissioned by the ruling class, although people from across social groups benefited from the burgeoning metropolitan hubs for artisanal trades. For instance, Kyoto became a major center for lacquer art. Most furniture pieces were made from wood such as cedar or ash, including the era’s sashimono cabinets, which involved fine joinery and were rooted in the Heian period.

Sashimono cabinets, which were built by master craftsmen in a range of different wood types owing to the various trees that populate Japan, occasionally featured a stack of slender drawers as well as sliding doors. They were popular with everyone from samurai to kabuki actors. Tansu storage chests crafted from wood with metal fittings were also common in Edo-period homes. Some were designed to be easily portable while others were made to double as staircases.

Painted folding screens, called byōbu, were also fashionable, with Japanese artists inspired by nature, literature and scenes of history and daily life to create vivid works. In Buddhist temples and the palatial homes of the aristocratic class, fusuma, or large sliding panels, would sometimes be adorned with gold or silver leaf. These dividers allowed interiors to change throughout the day, closing in small spaces for personal use or reflecting candlelight to illuminate communal spaces after dark.

Find a collection of Edo tables, lighting, decorative objects, wall decorations and more furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Edo
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Pair of Japanese Edo Rimpa School Screens after Tawaraya Sotatsu
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Impressive pair of 17th century Japanese Edo period Rinpa school screens made in the manner and style of Autumn Grasses by Tawaraya Sotatsu (1570-1640). Beautifully decorated with wi...
Category

17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Screen Painting, Circa 1700 'Tales of Ise' by Tosa Mitsusuke
By Tosa Mitsusuke 1
Located in Kyoto, JP
A six-fold Japanese screen by Tosa Mitsusuke (1675-1710), Japan 17th-18th century, Edo period. The signature reads Shoroku-i ge Tosa sa Konoe Shogen Mit...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Painting 18c Edo Scroll Chikuseki Nagamachi Nihonga Landscape Painting
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
[Authentic Artwork] ◆ Nagamachi Chikuseki ◆ Landscape ◆ Edo Period ◆ Mitsuishi Origin ◆ Kagawa Prefecture ◆ Handwritten ◆ Paperback ◆ Hanging Scroll ◆ k891 ◆ Nagamachi Chikuseki Explore the artistry of Chikuseki Nagamachi...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Antique Japanese 18th c Edo Scroll Rosetsu Nagasawa Nihonga Landscape Painting
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
The following is a work of art depicting the ``Horai Landscape,'' a land of peach, created by the master artist [Rosetsu Nagasawa] A painter from the late Edo period. There are conf...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Antique Japanese 18th c Edo Scroll [Kano Baisho Nihonga Landscape Painting
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
This is a ``Rising Sun and Pine Tree'' drawn by Kano Baisho. It is an item with a solemn taste and presence, and I think it would be a good idea to display it at New Year's, the fir...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Japanese Nihonga Painting 18/19th c Edo Scroll Tanomura Chikuden Self Portrait
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Tanomura Takeda's handwritten self-portrait hymn "Painted Landscape" with himself working in a hut Takeda Tanomura and depicts fields and mountains in spring,   and is accompanied by a self-written waka poem that is thought to be about the scene. [Tanomura Takeda] A painter from Takeda Village, Naoniri District, Bungo Province (present-day Takeda City). His family was born as the second son of Ken'an, who had been a samurai physician in the Oka domain for generations. He first studied medicine, but preferred learning over medicine, and studied Chinese studies under Kimizan Karahashi, a He also learned painting techniques from Buncho Tani, and after returning to Japan, he served as the president of a domain school. He resigned his post in 1812 and traveled between Keihan and Osaka, where he interacted with Raizanyo, Shinozaki Kotake, Urakami Gyokudo, Okada Yonezanjin, Unka Shonin, Aoki Mokubei...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Japanese Painting 17th c Edo Scroll Triptyque Kano Chikanobu Buddhist Painting
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
TheItem below was painted approximately 300 years ago by Kano Chikanobu. In the center is a depiction of a deer hermit, on the right is a landscape of a tower that gives a sense of ...
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17th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Lovely Japanese 19th c Edo Scroll Okumura Sekiran Nihonga Painting Mountain
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
 "Early Summer Colored Waterfall" is a work drawn by Sekiran Okumura as you can see.   The brilliance of the fresh greenery and the cool, powerful presence of the waterfall are overw...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Lovely Japanese 18/19th c Edo Scroll Triptyque , Fuji, Dragon Flowers
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
This is a pair of Edo period pieces, each with a beautiful ``cherry blossoms and swallow'', ``Fuji and rising dragon'', and ``wild geese'' . ■Silk book, handpainted ■Condition:   T...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Lovely Japanese 18/19th c Edo Scroll Kano Osanobu Nihonga Painting Mountain
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Kano Osanobu (狩野養信) Osanobu Kano (born August 18, 1796; died June 12, 1846) was the ninth painter of the Kobikicho Kano School in the Edo period. His common name was Shozaburo. His ...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Antique Japanese 17th c Edo Scroll Kano Yosanobu Buddhist Painting
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Eishin Kano's Ebisu/Great Country Map, double-width/comes with an old box. The auspicious statues of Ebisu and Daikoku are standing in a double-width hanging scroll with a smiling fa...
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18th Century Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

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...
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1690s Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

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 ...
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Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Six-Panel Screen Garden Landscape by River's Edge
Located in Hudson, NY
Kano School painting showing ancient pine, exotic birds, peonies, azalea and cherry tree in bloom on far right. Early Edo period painting, (1614 -...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

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...
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17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

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

Mid-17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk, Wood, Paper

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...
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1670s Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

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 ...
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17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper

Japanese Painting, 17th Century, Tale of Genji, Tosa School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Illustration to an unidentified chapter of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th Century) Ink, pigment, gofun and...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Set of Six Japanese Ido Period Shunga 'Erotica' Hanging Lacquered Wood Panels
Located in North Miami, FL
These magnificent lacquered wood panels have been mounted together on a lucite panel. Each panel has its original hanging handle. The panels are hanging on antique railroad...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Metal, Iron

Japanese Six Panel Screen Spring into Summer
Located in Hudson, NY
Mid-Edo period, 18th century painting with gold leaf and mineral pigments. A summer landscape depicting summer flowers and exotic birds, accented with an abstract cloud design. Miner...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

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...
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Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

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...
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Late 18th Century Asian Antique Edo Paintings

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...
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1640s Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper

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...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Six-Panel Screen Waterfall and Cherry in Audubon Landscape
Located in Hudson, NY
Japanese six-panel screen: waterfall and cherry in Audubon landscape, Edo period painting, 18th century, depicting summer and spring. A Kano Schoo...
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Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Painting, 17th Century, Tale of Genji, Makibashira, Tosa School
Located in Kyoto, JP
The Handsome Pillar (Makibashira), Illustration to Chapter 31 of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th Century) I...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Six-Panel Screen Women of the Court in the Garden
Located in Hudson, NY
Japanese six-panel screen: Women of the Court in the Garden. Edo period (circa 1700) painting of an early Kano school subject matter: nobility socializing in a coutryard garden. Deta...
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Early 1700s Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

18th Century Japanese Scroll of Poppies
Located in Hudson, NY
18th century Japanese scroll of poppies. Edo Period (early 18th century) Japanese painting of poppies with lilies in the background. Seal on the lower...
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Early 18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk, Paper

Japanese Two-Panel Screen Ink Painting of Palm Trees on Paper
Located in Hudson, NY
Japanese two-panel screen: ink painting of Palm Trees on paper, Edo period (1787) beautiful painting of Japanese windmill palm trees. Ink paint...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper, Silk, Wood

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...
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Early 18th Century Asian Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

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...
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17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper

18th Century Japanese Two-Panel Screen Collection of Fans on Gold
Located in Hudson, NY
18th century Japanese Screen of a Collection of Fans. Paintings on fans depict famous Japanese painting subjects, this screen was most li...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Two Panel Screen Ink Painting of Banana Leaves on Mulberry Paper
Located in Hudson, NY
Edo period (dated 1787) beautiful painting of unfurling palm leaves with romping puppies in the background. Ink painting (sumi-e) on mulberry paper. Signature reads: Okyo. Calligraph...
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Late 18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper

Japanese Edo Festival Screen, c. 1750
Located in Chicago, IL
This 18th century folding screen is a stunning example of Japanese artistry. Beautifully painted with delicate brushwork, the evocative screen depicts a lively festival during the Ed...
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Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper

17th Century Japanese Two-Panel Screen, Gibbons of Folklore
Located in Hudson, NY
Japanese two-panel screen: Gibbons of Folklore, Edo period (17th century) Kano School painting of gibbons in Japanese fables. The left panel represents a Japanese fable of a monkey a...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk, Wood, Paper

Late 17th-Early 18th Century Japanese Six-Panel Screen, Battle at Uji Bridge
Located in Hudson, NY
Japanese six-panel screen: Battle at Uji Bridge, the first battle at Uji was in 1180 and it marked the start of the Heike Wars. The Genji troops crossed the...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Japanese Painting, 17th Century, Tale of Genji, Fujibakama, Tosa School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Purple Trousers (Fujibakama), Illustration to Chapter 30 of the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) Tosa School (second half of the 17th century) Ink, ...
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Late 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

17th century Japanese Falcon Painting, Mitani Toshuku, Unkoku School
Located in Kyoto, JP
Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654) “Falcon” Wall panel, ink and light color on paper. Upper Seal: Mitani Lower Seal: Toshuku Dimensions: Each 118.5 cm x 51 cm x 2 cm (46.5” x 20” x .75”) Individual falcon paintings by Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654), an early artist of the Unkoku School. Founded by Unkoku Togan (1547–1618), a master of the Momoyama period, the Unkoku school enjoyed long lasting patronage in southern Japan. Togan was a retainer of the Mori family in present day Yamaguchi prefecture. Members of the school considered themselves to be in the artistic lineage of Sesshu Toyo...
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Early 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Paper

Japanese Painting, Framed Panel, 17th Century Falcon by Mitani Toshuku
Located in Kyoto, JP
Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654) “Falcon” Wall panel, ink and light color on paper. Upper seal: Mitani Lower seal: Toshuku Dimensions: Each 118.5 cm x 51 cm x 2 cm (46.5” x 20” x .75”) Individual falcon paintings by Mitani Toshuku (1577-1654), an early artist of the Unkoku School. Founded by Unkoku Togan (1547–1618), a master of the Momoyama period, the Unkoku school enjoyed long lasting patronage in southern Japan. Togan was a retainer of the Mori family in present day Yamaguchi prefecture. Members of the school considered themselves to be in the artistic lineage of Sesshu Toyo...
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Early 17th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Pair of Antique Japanese Paintings of Karashishi, Edo Period, 18th Century
Located in Prahran, Victoria
A rare pair of antique Japanese Karashishi paintings in a landscape of rocks and peony flowers on gold leaf ground in fine handmade frames, Edo period, early 18th century. The Karash...
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Early 18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Pair of Antique Japanese Flower Paintings by Yanagisawa Kien, circa 18th Century
By Yanagisawa Kien
Located in Prahran, Victoria
Pair of antique Japanese Nagasaki School paintings by Yanagisawa Kien (1704-1758), depicting classical ikebana flower arrangements. Each painted on silk in mineral pigments and beari...
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Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Silk

Japanese Six-Panel Edo Screen Willow with Flowers
Located in Rio Vista, CA
18th century Japanese Edo period six-panel screen featuring spring willow with camellia and peonies in a dramatic storm of silver and gold leaf flecks. Made in the Hasegawa school st...
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18th Century Japanese Antique Edo Paintings

Materials

Brass, Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf

Edo paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Edo paintings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Early 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage paintings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, paper and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Edo paintings made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and Japan pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original paintings, popular names associated with this style include Mitani Toshuku, Rimpa School, Tosa Mitsusuke, and Yanagisawa Kien. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for paintings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,000 and tops out at $230,000 while the average work can sell for $8,900.

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