Heian Court Scenes, Antique Japanese Byobu Gold Leaf Screen

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Six panels of gold leaf open like a row of lit windows, each holding a painted scene of courtiers in … Read more 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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