Dong Fang Shuo's Visit to the Queen Mother of the West, 17th century

Panoramic decoration representing the visit of the immortal Dong Fang Shuo to the Queen Mother of the West.
The scene is inspired by Chinese antiquities, more precisely from the Han dynasty, but the painters of the Kano school represent it with their contemporary Japanese vision.
The place chosen to describe this ancient scene is probably a part of the Edo palace corresponding to the women's harem (Ooku*).
The area, which is closed to men, is located in an isolated part surrounded by a moat.
It is reserved for the shogun's mother, his wife and his many mistresses.
The latter do not have the right to leave this sacred perimeter and occupy their days
with noble activities like writing, sewing, music...
The entire right part of the screen shows us this daily life of the queen mother's attendants
with small scattered groups.
The seamstresses are sitting on the palace terrace, others are watching a group of
ducks from a comfortable living room, still others bring different dishes to a group
musicians who are busy making one of their number dance to the sound of their flutes.
This traditional music, which was called “gagaku”, was played using transverse flutes.
(shinobue) and mouth organs (sho), and exclusively reserved for the imperial court.
The left part represents Hanami which is a major popular festival in Asia.
This custom of appreciating the beauty of cherry blossoms (sakura) marks
the arrival of spring, at the very end of March.
A small group of women can be seen ecstatic under the large cherry trees and throwing ropes
equipped with bells in order to make the sublime flowers fall.
On the right, a procession of mistresses precedes the shogun and the empress who is
recognizable with its crown decorated with a phoenix.
A multitude of domestic animals such as dogs kept
on a leash or birds carried in cages by their owners move around the palace grounds.
In the background, the crater of Mount Fuji emerges above the clouds.

Ink, gouache and gold leaf on paper.

Good state of conservation, small usual restorations and small scattered frictions.

Japan, Kano school, Edo period, first half of the 17th century.

Dimensions:

Leaves: height 169 cm; width 59 cm.
Total width: 360 cm

For screens representing hanami:

- A famous screen by Kano Naganobu at the Tokyo Museum, whose iconography is
reproduced on postage stamps in Japan (inv n° A-11530).
- A screen dated 1630 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv. no.
2015-300.108.1.2).
- A screen for “spring rejoicings” is cited in the inventory after the death of the
Cardinal Mazarin (1661).



Our opinion:

Our sublime screen represents a subject from Chinese antiquity brought up to date by the painters of the Kano school.
They incorporate Japanese subjects, as well as the very rare iconography of hanami, that is to say the contemplation of cherry blossoms.
A few rare copies with this subject are known but they still have a popular character while
our scene takes place in a private park reserved for women.
The Queen Mother of the West is depicted accompanied by scholar Dong Fang Shuo, which is quite
exceptional as is the profusion of characters, animals and scenes
compartmentalized.
The incredible luxury and preciousness of the outfits of the fifty followers of the Queen Mother and
their delicate activities tell us about the extreme refinement of the Tokugawa dynasty,
who reigned over Japan for nearly three centuries.
Our screen is both a decorative piece and a museum quality document.


The Queen Mother of the West:

The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshiped in neighboring Asian countries and attested since ancient times. From her name alone, some of her most important characteristics are revealed: she is regal, feminine, and is associated with the West.
The earliest historical information about her dates back to oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty which record sacrifices to a "Western Mother". Although these inscriptions illustrate that it predates organized Taoism, it is most often associated with Taoism. The growing popularity of the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the belief that she was the giver of prosperity, longevity and eternal happiness, took place during the Han dynasty, 2nd century BCE, when the northern and western regions of China were better known thanks to the opening of the Silk Road.
She resides in a jade palace located on the celestial Kunlun, a magical place where herbs of immortality and peaches of long life are said to grow which ripen every 3000 or 9000 years. Chief of the immortals, all women aspiring to obtain the Dao are considered his disciples.