AGE : The screens are dated the third year of the Showa period, 1929.
SIZE : Each screen measures 75'' across and stands 68'' high (190 by 172.5 cm).
DESCRIPTION : Themes from literature were common in nihonga and that is undoubtably where this scene originated. The setting for the picnic of nobles and courtesans is the beautiful Omi Maiko beach on the shores of Lake Biwa near Kyoto. The artist likely visited the beach personally given the topographical accuracy of the scene thereby fusing a romanticized past with the present. As the Princes compose poetry and the servants prepare the feast it is the non verbal communication between the young female courtier and the servant girl which captures and inspires the imagination.
TECHNIQUE : ink, gofun and mineral colors on silk.
CONDITION : The paintings are essentially in good to very good condition although there are small areas of foxing present. In particular there is an area of staining around the signature on the lower left of the left screen. The screens are in need of re-backing and re-hinging, work which can be completed here in Kyoto.
