251 - AN IMPRESSIVE PAIR OF SIX-PANEL ‘CRANES’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREENS)

AN IMPRESSIVE PAIR OF SIX-PANEL ‘CRANES’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREENS) Signed Kaiyu (Yasuo) Japan, early 20th century, Meiji (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926) Ink, watercolors, gouache, and gold leaf on paper. Each mounted on six wood panels with metal fittings incised with sakura blossoms and raised knops along the long edges. Finely painted, depicting a group of tanchozuru (red-crowned cranes) in varied and animated poses, some standing erect, others preening, calling, or spreading their wings, all set against a luminous gold-leaf ground. The birds are rendered with crisp plumage and delicate coloration, their elegant forms enlivened by sparse clusters of bamboo and foliage along the lower edge. Inscriptions: Each screen signed 懐雄 Kaiyu (Yasuo). SIZE 122 x 272 cm (each) Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and only spots of rubbing. Wear and reinforcements to the joints. The crane is one of the most prominent symbols of longevity and good fortune in Asia. They are believed to have a long lifespan and to traverse between heaven and earth. In turn, these attributes have made them logical companions of sennin, the Taoist Immortals. The red-crowned or Japanese crane depicted on these screens is said to live for 1,000 years. Museum comparison: Compare an earlier pair of six-panel screens depicting cranes by Maruyama Okyo, dated 1772, each 170.8 x 349.9 cm, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.2011.106.1-.2. Auction comparison: Compare a related pair of six-panel 'Pine Trees and Cranes' screens by Ikegami Shuho (1874-1944), dated to the Taisho period, 171.5 x 396 cm each, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 15 May 2014, London, lot 296 (sold for GBP 12,500 or approx. EUR 21,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).