Page 194 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

55
ANONYMOUS
Chrysanthemums Beside a Brushwood Fence,
River, and Pine Tree, Edo Period (1615-1868),
circa 1700
A six-panel folding screen painted in ink, mineral
pigments, gofun (calcified crushed shell) and
gold on paper applied with gold leaf, depicting
chrysanthemums rendered in the moriage relief
technique growing behind a brushwood fence
beside a flowing river and pine tree partially hidden
in gold clouds; unsigned.
380cm (149 1/2in) long x 168cm (66 1/8in) high.

£20,000 - 30,000
CNY180,000 - 270,000

日本江戶時代，約1700年 河畔東籬菊 紙本設色 金
箔地六折屏風

Provenance:
Liza Hyde, New York
An important European private collection

來源：
紐約Liza Hyde舊藏
歐洲重要私人收藏

This bold composition was created for the interior
of a castle or perhaps a daimyo mansion in the new
samurai city of Edo, in a tradition stretching back to
the sixteenth century when screen pairs or screens
like this were first ordered by leading warlords. It
was painted using luxurious materials, with rich
applications of crushed mineral pigments such as
gunjo (blue) and rokusho (green) and extravagant
passages of gofun (calcified and crushed clam
shell powder) on a support of gold leaf on paper.
Unfolded at night in a large formal space, a screen
like this would have reflected the light of many
candles or lanterns, casting a golden glow over the
room and its occupants.

In keeping with the Confucian ethos of the ruling
military elite, the composition—almost certainly
the work of the official Kano painting academy—
combines the rugged majesty of a mature pine
(a Kano staple) with a Chinese poetic theme: the
‘Chrysanthemums by the East Fence’ beloved of
the poet Tao Qian (Tao Yuanming, 365-427), who
retired mid-career to the classic Chinese scholar-
hermit’s life of obscurity, drinking, and versification.
The chrysanthemum patch that he nurtured by
the eastern fence of his estate was depicted in
Chinese painting as early as the thirteenth century
and the theme probably reached Japan around
that time, a peak period for cultural exchange with
the Asian mainland.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
192 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.