Preliminary identification
Photo reference
3 uploaded photos
Overview
This is a six-panel low folding screen (ko-byōbu) rendered in ink, color, and gold leaf on paper, depicting a lush landscape with stylized pine, bamboo, rocks, and a bird. It exemplifies the decorative elegance and bold structural compositions favored by the Kano school tradition during the Edo period.
Story
During Japan's Momoyama and early Edo periods, samurai leaders and wealthy patrons commissioned gold-leaf screens to illuminate dimly lit castle interiors. Low folding screens like this one were specially proportioned for seated indoor life.
Maker / Origin
The Kano school was Japan's dominant painting lineage for over 400 years, serving the shogunate and nobility. Master painters combined Chinese-style ink brushwork with vibrant Japanese color palettes, creating a regal artistic legacy passed down through family ateliers.
Condition & Value
Shows heavy age-related wear, including significant paper losses on the back lining, tears at panel joints/hinges, surface flaking, and discoloration to the gold ground. These structural condition flaws reduce market value by approximately 50-60%. Value is driven by age, six-panel complete format, and Kano style composition.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.