Rare Antique Japanese Folding Screen by Kano Tanshin

An exquisite Japanese folding screen painted and signed by Kano Tanshin (Morimasa) (1658-1719). An important member of the Kano painter family, the son of Kano Tanyu by his second wife, Kano Tanshin led the Kajibashi branch of the Kano school after 1674.

The screen consists of six fully mounted panels depicts a lively family garden scene with men and children at a leisure play. Mountain, rivers and trees serve as the stage with the gold dust-splashed background. This work is extraordinary both its meticulous artistry and superb condition. It was originally purchased in the early 1970s from the Yatsuhashi Inc, a pioneer Japanese antique and art gallery founded by influential art dealer Harumichi Yatsuhashi (1886-1982) in 1945 in the Beacon Hill, Boston. The work comes with an authentication and appraisal letter written and signed by Harumichi Yatuhashi dated to 1976.

One of the most famous schools of Japanese painting, the Kanō school of was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji period when it further branched into sub-schools. Kano school was rooted in the Chinese literati style painting that focuses on brush strokes but took a firm Japanese identity.