ARTIST : The work is likely by the artist Yamashita Kaoru who exhibited with the Nitten on a number of occasions. The first and second of his exhibited pieces (1932 and 1938) bear a compositional resemblance to this two-panel screen along with a similarly refined attention to detail. This screen would pre-date those works being painted during the second half of the 1920's.
AGE : Second half of the 1920's
SIZE : The screens stands 71 inches high and measures 89 inches across.
DESCRIPTION : Representing the large aviary at the entrance to the Kyoto zoo, this two-fold Taisho period screen is an exceptional example of the style of luxurious naturalism that was the pinnacle of art at the time. Painted on a grand scale, lavish amounts of mineral pigments and gofun detail the bird life. The pond has been rendered with muted greens and yellows, focusing attention on the bird life and the structural elements of their enclosure. Sheltering the captive birds is a two tiered nesting box covered with an eaved roof - a haven for the interloping pigeons.
TECHNIQUE : Pigments and gofun on silk
CONDITION : The work is in very good original condition.
