247 - A FINE AND LARGE SIX-PANEL 'TALE OF GENJI' BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN)

A FINE AND LARGE SIX-PANEL 'TALE OF GENJI' BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN) Japan, 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Ink, watercolors, gouache, gold paint, and gold and silver leaf on paper. Mounted on silk brocade on six black-lacquered wood panels. Finely painted with scenes from The Tale of Genji, depicting elegantly attired courtiers and court ladies moving through palace pavilions and landscaped gardens amid pines, flowering trees, and winding waterways. A mounted nobleman accompanied by attendants appears at the left, while further figures converse or sit in contemplation within architectural interiors and secluded garden settings. Broad bands of gold and silver cloud drift across the composition, partially obscuring the landscape and separating the individual episodes. SIZE 170 x 369 cm Provenance: From an old private collection in Germany. Condition: Very good condition with old wear. Some soiling, few small tears, and scattered flaking to pigment. Minor losses with associated old repairs and touchups. The back with signs of wear and use, stains, tears, tape repairs, and small dents. The Tale of Genji captures the refined aesthetics of Heian court life, where aristocrats valued seasonal beauty and poetic sensitivity as measures of character and status. This screen painting reflects that world, with figures seated in a palace interior - partially opened to the landscape - contemplating flowering trees that echo the novel’s recurring themes of impermanence and longing. Just as in Genji, the architectural openness blurs the boundary between human emotion and the natural world, making nature a silent participant in the story of love and courtly life. Museum comparison: Compare a related Tosa School six-panel 'Scenes from the Tale of Genji' byobu, one of a pair, dated to the late 18th century, 154.5 x 351.2 cm each, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1948.124.1-.2. Auction comparison: Compare a related six-panel screen depicting scenes from ‘The Tale of Genji’, Tosa School, dated to the 17 th century, 156.2 x 355.6 cm, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Works of Art, 22 March 2023, New York, lot 988 (sold for USD 16,575 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).