1840s Paintings and Screens

Wonderful Victorian tapestry screen showing a delightful English pastoral scene We date this to circa 1840 and it comes in the mahogany frame which ...

Landscape with flowering sakura trees of the Edo period. Six-panel screen painted with mineral pigments and inks on gold leaf from the Rinpa School.

Two panel ink and gold leaf Japanese screen depicting water, weeping willows and a blossoming bush. 19th century Edo period in the style of the earlier 17th century Edo period.

Kishi Ganryo (1798-1852) “Flowers of the Four Seasons” Six-panel screen, ink, color and gold leaf on paper. Inscription: Utanosuke Ganryo Artist seals: Ganryo no in Shiryo Dimensions: 170 cm x 556 cm (67” x 219”) Flowers and plants have long held an important role as signifiers of meaning in Japanese culture. Hanakotoba is the Japanese ‘language of flowers’. Essentially, each flower has its own meaning, often based on its physical attributes and/or well known appearances in historical art and literature. This floral screen by Kishi Ganryo is rich with emotional sentiments. The flowers chosen epitomise femininity and the theme is unambiguously romantic. The work was likely commissioned as a dowry gift for a bride. The screen is ‘read’ from right to left, from spring through to winter. Flowers associated with spring include wisteria, which represents the intoxication of love, bleeding hearts embody femininity and gentleness, and the stem peony timidity and purity. Moving through to summer the pink morning glories represent binding love; they are entwined around tiger lilies which embody prosperity. The white chrysanthemum, an eternal symbol of autumn, represents trust and purity. It is placed next to the cockscomb which stands for emotion and affection. Amongst the pampass grass is the bellflower, which represents unchanging love and honesty. In winter the Nandina flourishes and it is seen as a purifying plant. It is set among bamboo which is a symbol of perseverance and tolerance. It is highly unusual in that the four seasons are represented on one screen as a complete work of art. Almost invariably spring and summer would be presented on one screen and fall and winter on the matching pair. The screen is also extraordinary in its grand size, measuring 18 feet across. There is a wonderful Japanese sense of composition, revealing just the centre part of the tree-trunk, and the tips of plants and grasses, which gives the impression that you are looking out of a window. In particular the twisting wisteria vines bring to mind Maruyama Okyo’s famous wisteria screens. Against the gold-leaf ground the flowers dazzle with realism. It is a very important and representative work by Ganryo, who was known as a careful observer of nature and talented colorist. Kishi Ganryo’s given name was Hamatani Masatoshi. He studied painting under Kishi Ganku...