Kanō School: A Japanese six-fold painted byobu 'Unryū-zu' screen (dragon amidst clouds), sumi ink on gold-leafed paper, Edo, ca. 1800

拍品描述

Kanō School: A Japanese six-fold painted byobu 'Unryū-zu' screen (dragon amidst clouds), sumi ink on gold-leafed paper, Edo, ca. 1800 H 173 - L 369,5 - D 2 cm (opened) H 173 - L 62,5 - D 13 cm (closed) A monumental Japanese six-fold byōbu (屏風), attributed to the Kanō School and dating from around 1800. The decoration belongs to the classical 'Unryū-zu' (雲龍図) tradition, literally 'Dragon among the Clouds'. The dragon emerges from an expansive field of clouds, painted in sumi ink over a gold ground composed of individual square sheets of gold leaf. Over the centuries, the original gold ground has lost some of its brilliance and acquired a soft, matte patina, enhancing the historic character of the screen. The painted field is traditionally framed by a silk brocade mounting. Particularly striking is the free, vigorous and almost spontaneous handling of the brush. Within the Kanō tradition, Chinese-inspired ink painting, powerful brushwork and gold grounds were combined to dramatic effect. In depictions of dragons, fluid ink, broad strokes and atmospheric washes were particularly suited to evoking a creature emerging from rain clouds and mist. The East Asian dragon is intimately associated with water, clouds and rain. As a bringer of rain, it consequently became a symbol of fertility, abundant harvests and agricultural prosperity. Furthermore, the dragon embodies the powerful and ever-changing forces of the natural world. Clouds were associated with 'qi', the vital cosmic energy, while the dragon could be understood as a mutable manifestation of the active 'yang' principle. Within Buddhist tradition, the dragon also appears as a protector of the teachings. In the imagery of the 'Unryū', rain can evoke wisdom descending from the heavens like drops of rain. Rather than being completely delineated, the dragon appears to materialise from cloud and mist before dissolving into them once again. The image thus becomes a powerful evocation of transformation and the intangible: an elemental force revealing itself only momentarily in visible form. The combination of monumental scale, gold ground and remarkably free brushwork gives the screen an exceptional dramatic presence: the dragon is not merely painted against the clouds; it seems literally to be born from them.

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