Anonymous painter of the Kano School

Description:

Japan, probably Kyoto. Momoyama/ early Edo period
H. 175 cm; pro Paneel 60/62 cm; Gesamtbreite 367 cm
Päonien an einer Balustrade, screen, 6-part ink, colours and relief-like applied gofun on paper. On a rocky plateau with rocks protruding from below, a balustrade stands on white stone slabs. The fillings are decorated in Chinese style with a stylised flower surrounded by tendrils; the black round posts, boards and mouldings are decorated with linear tendrils. The gilded metal fittings of the posts are rendered in relief and crowned by a blue and white tower-like cloud formation. Behind a balustrade, red and white flowering päonias with wide spreading branches grow on strong stems. A long-tailed bird and a black-crowned robin fly üover the scene. Behind the rocky slope, a stream passes by, depicted by stylised linear waves.
Private collection Rhineland, acquired in the early 1980s from Offermann & Schmitz, Wuppertal
The work depicts a garden terrace of a Chinese palace. Such terraces can be seen, for example, on a screen in the Tokyo National Museum by Kaihô Yûshô (1533-1615). Here we find the space-structuring element of the balustrade and also the boulders growing diagonally into the plateau. The design of the repoussoir and the shrub päonies are also reminiscent of the painting style of Kano Sanraku (1559-1635) and his interior decoration of temples in Kyoto such as the Daikakuji. The composition and style of the present screen is based on the style of the Momoyama period. In the Momoyama and early Edo periods, monumental paintings on sliding screens (fusuma and sugidô) and folding screens were widespread for the representation of castles, shogunal residences and large temples. Chinese themes of historical and legendary figures from the circle of the Chinese emperors were very popular in connection with the reorientation according to the principles of Neo-Confucianism. Magnificent flowers, the päonia was regarded as the queen of flowers, or powerful shishi, tigers and dragons symbolised the power and self-confidence of the patrons. Their wealth and need for prestige were reflected in the opulent use of gold leaf. The depictions were lavish and composed and painted for effect. Details were unimportant, as can be seen here in the modular depiction of the foliage. Groupings of circles or ellipses formed into star shapes represent foliage - Partially restored, traces of age