1838 Japanese Screen Pair. Flowers & Grasses of the Four Seasons

Maruyama Oshin (1790-1838)

Flowers and grasses of the four seasons: dated 1838

Pair of eight-panel screens; ink, color and gold leaf on silk

Dimensions: each (2) H. 38.5 cm x W. 218.5 cm (15” x 86”)

Price: USD 22,500

This pair of Edo period Japanese screens is composed to be read from right to left in the classical manner, moving through a refined and continuous progression of the seasons. Both screens are eight-panel compositions, but with a distinctly low, horizontal flow.

The first screen begins in late spring, with Thistle and Lilies, before shifting into a sequence of wetland plants characteristic of high summer: Arrowhead, Iris, Fringed Pink, Spatterdock, and the rare White Egret Orchid. Each species is observed with exquisite clarity and balanced restraint, forming a luminous evocation of water’s edge in full summer light.

The second screen carries the seasonal movement into late summer and autumn, opening with the soft lavender-blue of Tatarian Aster, followed by Japanese Bellflower, a classical emblem of autumn in poetry and painting. The gently arching stems of Bush Clover introduce a note of early autumn melancholy, while Hardy Begonia and the silvery plumes of Susuki grass complete the passage, marking the quiet settling of the season. The painter’s touch is deliberate and assured: form, color, and gold ground are held in subtle, harmonious balance.

Maruyama Oshin (1790-1838) was the son of Maruyama (Kinoshita) Oju (1777 – 1815) and a grandson of Maruyama Okyo (1733 – 1795). He received artistic education from all the members of the artistic family including his uncle Maruyama Ozui (1766 – 1829) who later adopted him. He was adopted by his uncle so that he could officially become the third generation head of the Maruyama School of Japanese painting. Oshin specialized in the genres of landscapes, and birds and flowers. Painted in 1838, the final year of his life, this pair represents the mature expression of his naturalistic vision — observant and quietly luminous.

This pair of screens were sold through Christies New York in March 2012.