250 - MARUYAMA-SHIJO SCHOOL: A FINE SIX-PANEL ‘CRANES’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN)

MARUYAMA-SHIJO SCHOOL: A FINE SIX-PANEL ‘CRANES’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN) Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Ink, watercolors, gouache, and gold leaf on paper. Mounted with silk brocade borders on six roiro-lacquered panels with gilt-metal fittings. Finely painted with a group of red-crowned cranes (tanchozuru) in various graceful poses, their elegant forms rendered with remarkable naturalism, the delicately shaded white plumage contrasting beautifully with the black necks and wing feathers, long slender legs, and vivid vermilion crowns. The birds are arranged in a lively yet harmonious composition against a lustrous gold-leaf ground, their finely observed postures and subtle variations in movement conveying a striking sense of vitality. SIZE 182 x 374 cm Condition: Very good condition with expected wear and vivid colors. Slight creasing, light scratches, spots of rubbing and flaking, small losses to the gold ground, some repairs and associated touchups. The back with signs of wear and use, stains, tape repairs and small dents. Presenting beautifully. The crane is one of the most prominent symbols of longevity and good fortune in East Asian art. Traditionally believed to live for a thousand years and to travel between heaven and earth, cranes are closely associated with immortality and frequently depicted as companions of the Taoist Immortals (sennin). The naturalistic rendering of the birds in the present screen, with their individually observed postures and finely articulated plumage, reflects the artistic ideals of the Maruyama-Shijo school, particularly the emphasis on direct observation of nature pioneered by Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795). Museum comparison: Compare one of a closely related pair of six-panel screens depicting cranes by Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), dated 1772, Edo period, 170.8 x 349.9 cm, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession no. M.2011.106.1. Auction comparison: Compare a related six-panel screen depicting cranes by an anonymous artist of the Shijo/Maruyama school, dated to the 18th century, Edo period, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 12 November 2008, London, lot 184 (sold for GBP 9,000 or approx. EUR 18,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).