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East Asia, Japan, 18th to 19th century. Ink and color on paper with gold leaf. Inscribed "Fuji Settoku kin ga" and one seal. A six-panel Japanese folding screen depicting an extensive hunting narrative in a picturesque landscape. The painting is exquisite with finely rendered figures and animals and a dynamic composition. What's more, the billowing cloud and land motifs were delineated with speckled gold leaf containing from 65.1 to 76.8 percent gold (as XRF tested in one of the panels). The use of gold leaf was intended to reflect the light and imbue the scene with a marvelous shimmer! Finally, each corner is adorned with a decorative copper fitting embellished with an elegant floral motif. Size (largest panel): 17.375" W x 31.5" H (44.1 cm x 80 cm) Size (all 6 panels when fully extended): 104.5" W x 31.5" H (265.4 cm x 80 cm)

According to Terry Satsuki Milhaupt's essay for the Metropolitan Museum of Art website, "Folding screens in Japan functioned both as a type of furnishing and as decoration. Byobu , the Japanese term for folding screen, comprises two characters?byo refers to a wall, fence, or screen, and the character for bu, also read as fu, means wind. Literally, the byobu functioned as protection against the wind. Screens served to divide large open spaces into more intimate and private areas, often for the purposes of dressing or sleeping. The glimmering gold-leaf surfaces characteristic of folding screens reflected ambient light and enlivened the space with the pictorial scenes upon them. In outdoor settings, screens could be arranged to function like portable walls, demarcating space and shielding revelers from prying eyes." ("Interiors Imagined: Folding Screens, Garments, and Clothing Stands" August 2009)

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Main Line, Philadelphia, USA collection, 1980s

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#174651

Inscribed "Fuji Settoku kin ga" and one seal at lower left of leftmost panel. Decorative copper fittings at corners present with a rich patina. Cloud and land motifs throughout are delineated with speckled gold leaf containing from 65.1 to 76.8 percent gold (as XRF tested in one of the panels). Screen is currently in two sections (3 panels each) with tears to edges (seams) between these sections. Normal age wear with scuffs, crease marks, and abrasions/loss as shown in photos. Expected toning to paper and darkening to fabric border. Damage to leftmost panel as shown. Scuffs and nicks to wood frame. Perforations to verso of wood frame from former suspension hardware. Expected surface wear with a few tears and punctures to black paper on verso.