Japanese Byobu six panels screen on paper Edo Period 19th century

Beautiful Edo period Japanese Byobu six panel screen from the early 19th century depicting scenes from the Tale of Genji, with pavilions, gardens and women of the court wearing kimonos. It is hand painted with mineral pigments, inks and gold on paper, with red silk borders, mounted on a wood lattice, and within a black lacquer frame. Each panel has been fully cleaned by a specialist, removing the dust and finding back the original colors of the screen. A soft and stretch black cotton fabric has been applied on the back, with Z-shaped hooks mounted on the frame to enable wall mounting. The screen is in very good condition, with very minor wear and color fading.

The Tale of Genji, or Genji Monogatari, was written by a female courtier, Murasaki Shikibu, around the tenth-eleventh centuries. It is a romantic novel that follows the relationships of a legendary Prince Genji and the generation that followed him. Divided into 54 chapters, the English translation by Edward Seidensticker takes up 1,090 pages. The Tale of Genji is required reading in Japanese schools today.