The Tale of Genji, Folding screen - Japan 19th Century

Folding screen, The Tale of Genji, Japan, 19th Century.
A six-panel folding screen ; ink, colour, gofun and gold on paper, silk brocade border, black lacquer mounts ornated metal fittings with the ka-mon of Tokugawa.

This large screen represents Chapters from the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) Painted with ink and pigments. The clouds are made with gofun and gold leaf and powder.
Screens played a vital role in dividing spaces in Japanese homes, castles, and temples. They were periodically rotated to correspond to the seasons, festivals, or according to the whim of the collector.
This 19th century screen portrays one of the most famous subjects in Japanese literature and art, The Tale of Genji, attributed to the Japanese noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu, in the early 11th–century and considered as the world’s first modern novel. This fictional work recounts the life of the son of the Japanese emperor, who is represented in several scenes here, and describes the customs of the aristocratic society during the Heian period (807–1185). It has been the subject of numerous art works since the 12th century.

170.5 x 370 cm
Japan, 19th century.