18th Century Japanese Tosa School Two Fold Screen

96cm x 93cm (37.7 x 36.6 inches) Gold leaf and mineral pigments on heavy paper with silk brocade borders, red lacquered wooden frame. Partial signature attached to the reverse.

Featuring a beautifully drawn scene from The Tale of Genji*, rendered in a subtle and sophisticated palette. The unusual treatment of the gold leaf ground gives the whole screen an almost monochrome, muted gold tone. The clouds, heightened with gold dust, the colours and patterns of the costumes and the bright whites of faces give the painting depth and ground the figures in the landscape.

In superb, original condition. The front has no damage to the gold or paper, no rips, holes or restorations. There is some evidence of slight past water damage, (there is a visible water stain at the top of the robes of the lady standing furthest to the right). Small loss of Gofun (raised white pigment) on the same lady's hand. Some other small cracks and craquelure to some areas of darker paint. The river originally had fine lines, denoting eddies on the surface, painted on it but these are very faint now, barely visible. Some small losses of lacquer to the frame, small punctures and loose edges to the reverse papers.
*The Tale of Genji is likely the world's first novel, written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. ​​The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of an ancient Japanese emperor. For political reasons, the emperor removes Genji from the line of succession, demoting him to a commoner by giving him the surname Minamoto, and he pursues a career as an imperial officer. The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time.