18c Edo Japanese Screens Pair Cranes Gold Leaf on Paper Signed Antique Framed Set of Two Folding Byobu

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Pair of Japanese six-panel folding screens.
Each ink, color and gold on paper, depicting a flock of red-headed cranes* in … Read more Pair of Japanese six-panel folding screens.
Each ink, color and gold on paper, depicting a flock of red-headed cranes* in varied poses, set against a gold leaf ground,
signed **
68.25"h x 146"w each
Literature Reference ***

The long-necked crane is said to live a thousand years, sharing the world of immortals in Daoist lore. Because cranes are monogamous, they are a symbol of happy marriage and one the most enduringly popular motifs in Japanese art.
Here, a flock of seventeen cranes makes an elegant composition against a stark gold ground. The artist shows two species of cranes, the familiar Manchurian crane (Grus japonensis) with a red crest and snow-white plumage and the white-necked crane (Grus vipio) with silver gray plumage and a red circle around the eye. The flock gains density toward the outer panels of both screens.

* Red-crowned cranes were once ubiquitous throughout the wetlands of China, Korea, and Japan. Their impressive size (up to five feet tall), striking coloration, and lively “dance” made them a popular subject among artists. In East Asian mythology, they were believed to live for a thousand years, and thus became auspicious symbols of longevity. This set of screens would have been appropriate for especially felicitous events such as birthday and New Year’s celebrations.

** The signature on both screens is the traditional Japanese signature/artistic attribution (落款, rakkan) written in semi-cursive ink calligraphy:
法眼春卜一翁筆
English Translation:
"Painted by Hōgen Shunboku Itsuō"
Breakdown of Meanings:
法眼 (Hōgen): Literally meaning "Eye of the Dharma," this was a highly prestigious, honorary title historically bestowed by the imperial court upon master artists, doctors, and monks in Japan.
春卜 (Shunboku): The given artistic name of the painter, Ōoka Shunboku (大岡春卜, 1680–1763), a prominent Edo-period painter of the Kanō school based in Osaka who was famous for his paintings and woodblock-printed art manuals.
一翁 (Itsuō): An additional art name (號, gō) used by Shunboku, particularly during his later years after he achieved the Hōgen rank.
筆 (Hitsu / Fude): Meaning "brush," which functions as the signature marker meaning "brushed by" or "painted by."
The two red stamped squares at the bottom are the artist's personal verification seals (inkan).

***
Last 3 photos shows similar pair of screens at LACMA and recent auction results
Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795)
Cranes
Each signed and dated An'ei kinoe-uma moshu (seventh month, 1774) sha Okyo, each sealed Okyo no in
Pair of six-panel screens; ink, color and gold leaf on paper
61 5/8 x 137¼in. (156.5 x 349.6cm.) (2) See less