Screens within Screens

late 17th–early 18th century

Not on view

This pair of screens is unusual in its subject matter: replicas of folding screens painted on the screens themselves, which offer a fanciful catalogue of workshop styles practiced in Japan in the 1700s. They relate to two categories of decorative motifs seen on screens, one known as “Whose Sleeves?” and the other as “Scattered Fans.” Screens of the first type feature variously patterned kimono draped over lacquer racks; those in the latter category are decorated with fans that have themselves been embellished with pictures. In a nod to the “Scattered Fans” genre, one of the replica screens seen here features fans decorated with a range of motifs, from vegetables and insects to episodes from courtly narratives.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

屏風尽図屏風
Title: Screens within Screens
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: late 17th–early 18th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilt paper
Dimensions: Image (each): 66 15/16 in. × 12 ft. 4 in. (170 × 376 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Fletcher, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation and Dodge Funds, 2010
Object Number: 2010.402.1, .2
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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