AN IMPRESSIVE KANO SCHOOL SIX-PANEL BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN) DEPICTING A TIGER WITH OFFSPRING AND DRAGON

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AN IMPRESSIVE KANO SCHOOL SIX-PANEL BYOBU (FOLDING SCREEN) DEPICTING A TIGER WITH OFFSPRING AND DRAGON Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) Ink and watercolors on paper. Mounted on six lacquered wood panels. Finely painted to depict a tiger standing foursquare on a cliff overlooking crashing waves, the feline’s head turned back as it growls at a dragon soaring high above. A pair of tiger cubs stand close to their protective parent, imitating its menacing demeanor as they engage in a playful tussle. Inscriptions: To the left panel, inscribed and sealed Do Toshitatsu 堂 暁龍 [At Dawn and a Dragon] and with two seals, one reading Chiko Nanzan 知己 南山. SIZE 170.7 x 368 cm Tiger and dragon are Chinese cosmological symbols of the balancing forces in the world, yin (the feminine aspect) and yang (the masculine aspect). The tiger's roar is also said to generate wind, and the dragon clouds. The screens may have originally been meant to express the fluctuating nature of the world as envisioned in the practice of military divination, or forecasting, based on the Yijing (Book of Changes). Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Kano school six-panel ‘tiger and dragon’ byobu screen, 18th century, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 14 June 2024, Vienna, lot 303 (sold for EUR 23,400).

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