Page 17 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

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KAWANABE KYOSAI (1831-1889)
Yokihi (Yang Guifei)
Signed Seisei Kyosai, sealed Joku Kyosai and
Kyosai kyoshi
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and gold leaf on silk
54¡ x 28 in. (138.1 x 71.1 cm.)
Accompanied with a paper certificate signed and
sealed by Kawanabe Kyoun (1860-1908)
$30,000-40,000

PROVENANCE:
Sekitani Ijuro, Japan
The beauty seated in front of a standing screen,
gazing at peonies and playing her Chinese
qin. Yokihi (Yang Guifei) was the consort of
Emperor Xuanzong (685–762) of the Tang
dynasty and known as the femme fatale whose
beauty was said to put the flowers to shame.
Kyosai was apprenticed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(1797-1861), then Maemura Towa and Kano
Tohaku who was the head of Surugadai Kano
School. He mastered his own distinctive style
through studying a great variety of paintings
including the works by Kano, Tosa, Rimpa,
Maruyama-Shijo and Ukiyo-e Schools.
Kyosai applied very unique technique called
urahaku (gold leaf applied to the reverse side of
silk) to soften the gold ground of the standing
screen depicted in this painting.