East Asia, Japan, Kano School, Edo period, ca. 1850 CE. Impressive for its breathtaking imagery, artistry, and monumental size, this Kano School folding screen is comprised of six panels adorned with a panorama landscape painting featuring a grove of Japanese Red Pine and Cherry Blossom Trees thriving in perfect harmony - all rendered in mineral pigments, ink, and gold leaf with a silk brocade border and black lacquer trim with decorative copper hardware. The evergreen pines symbolize longevity while the cherry blossoms symbolize seasonal change and transient beauty. All is beautifully rendered in a tasteful limited color palette - shades of green, brown, and white with black accents against a gold leaf ground - and the composition conjures the Zen philosophy of peace and harmony. Size (open): 105" W x 53.875" H (266.7 cm x 136.8 cm) Size (folded): 4" D x 17.75" W x 53.875" H (10.2 cm x 45.1 cm x 136.8 cm)
About the Kano School of Painting: The Kano School is among the longest lived and most famous schools of painting in Japan. The Kano School was the most influential style for over 300 years, from the late 15th century through the Meiji period (1868-1912). The Kano family produced a long line of artists spanning several generations and attracting many elite patrons with their diverse range of painting styles, iconographic themes, and formats.
Kano Masanobu (1434–1530) who established the Kano school championed a painting style that reflected the influence of Chinese painting style favored by Zen temples. In addition to Zen philosophy and practice, this Chinese-style of painting featured an emphasis on brushwork, the favoring of ink with spare use of pigments, and Chinese themes, notably renderings of Zen landscapes and patriarchs. The repertoire and style of Kano artists would evolve throughout the centuries, with later artists employing bold brushwork and more vibrant colors as well as design motifs and forms that reflected native Japanese tastes. In 1600 the school moved its headquarters from Kyoto to Edo, the new capital, in order to serve the Tokugawa shogunate. This relationship with the Tokugawa shogunate led to prosperity through the Edo period; however, by the end of the nineteenth century, the Kano School's success waned as their patrons' fortunes withered.
Please note: The painting has been tested via x-ray florescence. Background is comprised of gold leaf, and mineral pigments are consistent with the period.
An old NAGA Antiques (New York) label on verso of one panel attributes the screen to the Kano School ca. 1850 and identifies the subject as "Japanese Red Pine and Cherry in Perfect Harmony".
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; acquired at NAGA Antiques, New York City
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#189826
Condition
Very good with expected wear commensurate with age and use. Normal surface scuffs to the painting but imagery and hues are still vivid. Some abrasions to the decorative paper backing covering the versos of the panels. Scuffs/nicks to the black lacquer trim. NAGA Antiques (New York) label on verso of one panel attributes the screen to the Kano School ca. 1850 and identifies the subject as "Japanese Red Pine and Cherry in Perfect Harmony". Another label on side with "E1512".