Six panels of gold leaf open like a row of lit windows, each holding a painted scene of courtiers in Heian dress. Figures sit on verandas behind bamboo blinds, stroll among pines and flowering cherry, cross a garden stream and watch from a tiled pavilion, while soft banks of gilded mist drift between the episodes. The painting is done in mineral pigments on paper in the Yamato-e tradition of Japanese court narrative, framed by a silk brocade border and a black lacquered edge. Byobu, the folding screens of Japan, have divided rooms and softened drafts since the Heian period, and their gold ground was meant to carry candlelight deep into a room. This one has aged with the warm, mellow tone of old gold and shows its years in rips, stains and blemishes across the panels.
Opened to its full 108 inch width at 41 inches tall, it stands behind a sofa, at the foot or head of a bed, behind a dining sideboard or a console, or marks off a corner of a room. It also hangs flat on a wall as one long painted frieze. Fair condition and a low profile suit a setting where its age is part of the appeal.
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Era: Antique
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Origin: Japan
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Material: Mineral pigments and gold leaf on paper, wood frame, silk brocade border
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Size: 108"(W) x 4"(D) x 41"(H), six panels open
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Color: Gold with green, white, black and earth tones
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Condition: Wear consistent with age and use, part of its character and historical value. Antique fair condition: the screen shows rips, stains and blemishes, including water staining at the top of the painted scenes, small tears and lifting at the panel edges and hinges, and rubbing in the gold.
This antique Japanese six panel byobu screen shows Heian court scenes in mineral pigments on gold leaf, with a silk brocade border and black lacquered edge. It measures 108 inches wide open, 4 inches deep and 41 inches tall, and is in antique fair condition with rips, stains and blemishes. It suits a living room, bedroom or dining room as a screen or a wall frieze.
Q: What are the clouds of gold on a Japanese screen?
A: They are bands of gilded mist, a device from Yamato-e court painting. The mist hides part of the scene, links one episode to the next and lets a single screen tell several moments of a story.
Q: How do you display a low six panel screen?
A: Open it in a gentle zigzag so the panels stand on their own, or hang it flat as a wide frieze above a console or bed. A low screen works behind a sofa or a sideboard without blocking light in the room.
**Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio
