240 - A MASTERFUL PAIR OF RINPA TWO-PANEL ‘FLOWERS AND GRASSES OF THE FOUR SEASONS’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREENS)

A MASTERFUL PAIR OF RINPA TWO-PANEL ‘FLOWERS AND GRASSES OF THE FOUR SEASONS’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREENS) Japan, 17th-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Ink, watercolors, gouache, gold paint, and gold leaf on paper. Each mounted on silk brocade on two wood panels. Finely painted with a profusion of seasonal flowers and grasses growing along a meandering stream, progressing from spring and early summer on the right to winter on the left, including hydrangea (ajisai), bleeding heart, iris, hollyhock, peony, poppy, Japanese pink (nadeshiko), chrysanthemum (kiku), Chinese bellflower (kikyo), golden lace (ominameshi), bush clover (hagi), persimmon, bamboo grass, and narcissus (suisen), all set against a rich gold ground, with delicate streaks of falling rain. SIZE 169.5 x 158 cm (each) Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and excellent colors. Little soiling, few small tears, and expected rubbing and flaking to pigments. The backs with typical traces of wear and use. The depiction of flowers and grasses from different seasons within a single composition follows a long-established decorative tradition closely associated with Rinpa painting. Here, the dense clusters of blossoms and foliage are unified by the winding blue stream and broad gold ground, creating a highly rhythmic and richly decorative composition. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related pair of six-panel 'Grasses and Flowers of the Four Seasons' byobu, dated to the 18th-19th century, 155.3 x 357.2 cm each, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 19 March 2019, New York, lot 295 (sold for USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 69,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).