GEIAI: AN IMPORTANT SIX-PANEL ‘MUSK CAT, BIRDS AND FLOWERS’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN)

拍品描述

GEIAI: AN IMPORTANT SIX-PANEL ‘MUSK CAT, BIRDS AND FLOWERS’ BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN) Sealed Geiai and Tonshu Japan, first half of the 16th century, Muromachi period (1333-1573) Ink, watercolors, and gouache on paper. Mounted on silk brocade on six black-lacquered wood panels. The composition presents a tranquil stream set within a richly detailed landscape. To the left, a blossoming prunus tree rises beside camellias issuing from rockwork, while a gnarled plum branch extends into the foreground. The riverbank is animated with chrysanthemums, bamboo, and a profusion of seasonal flora. The scene is enlivened by a wide array of birds: geese in flight and at rest, a pair of pheasants near the rocks, sparrows in lively interaction, doves and smaller birds perched among the branches, and quails engaged in a dust bath. In the water below, a pair of mandarin ducks glide gracefully. Near the quails to the right of the screen, a small detail presents itself - a praying mantis, almost hidden within the foliage yet painted with remarkable vitality. A particularly striking and unusual feature is the presence of a jako neko (musk cat), seated incongruously among the birds, its open-mouthed expression lending the scene a subtle sense of curiosity and dissonance rarely encountered in paintings of this type. Inscriptions: To the lower left corner, two seal marks Tonshu 頓首 [respectfully yours] and Geiai 芸愛. SIZE 363 x 197.3 cm Geiai is an enigmatic and highly regarded painter active in Kyoto in the late fifteenth to early sixteenth century. Only a small number of works bearing the Geiai seal are known, typically executed within a distinctive double-line cartouche, as seen here. Documentary evidence is scarce, with a dated underdrawing of 1489 providing one of the few chronological anchors. Recent Japanese scholarship proposes an identification of Geiai with the equally elusive painter Oguri Soritsu (d. 1556), particularly for works bearing the paired seals Geiai and Tonshu, as noted in Rakkan Kao Dai Jiten by Oda Eiichi and Koga Kenzo. Geiai’s paintings are distinguished by a sophisticated range of brush techniques, most notably the “boneless” (mokkotsu) manner, in which forms are rendered without preparatory outlines. This approach is evident in the lively and fluid depiction of the sparrows, demonstrating a painterly confidence characteristic of the master. The folding screen features a very unusual depiction of a musk cat (jako neko) seated amongst birds, an unusual detail rarely seen on ‘birds and flowers’ paintings of the period. Although not native to Japan, musk cats, or civets, were known in Japan through early Chinese paintings that were imported beginning in the 1200s. For related paintings of musk cats, dated to the 16th century, see a hanging scroll of a jako neko, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 2015.300.66, a six-panel folding screen, in the Suntory Museum of Art, and another six-panel folding screen, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number MFA116781. Executed in the characteristic Geiai manner, with confident use of the boneless technique and bearing the correct double-line seal, the present screen is further distinguished by its exceptionally rare and captivating depiction of a jako neko. Combined with its unusually large scale and distinguished provenance, it represents one of the most important and significant works within the oeuvre of Geiai to appear on the market. Museum comparison: Works bearing the Geiai seal are almost exclusively of small scale, with only very few known exceptions among folding screens. Compare a closely related pair of six-panel folding screens depicting birds and flowers of the four seasons, by Geiai, dated Muromachi period, designated an Important Cultural Property, in the Kyoto National Museum, museum number AK1314. Also compare a closely related screen depicting birds and flowers, dated 16th century, in the collection of the Nezu Art Museum, exhibited in 2015 as part of the Animal Worship exhibition. Auction comparison: Compare two related paintings of birds and flowers by Geiai, 49 x 32 cm each, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 22 March 2002, New York, lot 91 (sold for USD 204,000 or approx. EUR 322,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare two related paintings of birds and herons in a lotus pond by Geiai, 110.8 x 49.8 cm each, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 23 March 2004, New York, lot 94 (sold for USD 287,500 or approx. EUR 433,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).

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