Solitary Plum Tree, Rinpa school artist, Edo period (1615-1868), 19th century. Photo courtesy Helena Markus Antique Japanese Screens.

Six-panel screen. Ink and mineral colours on gold and silver leaf. H 168.5 x W 373.4 cm

The plum is a symbol of spring, a tree which resists the cold and begins to blossom at the end of winter. It was probably introduced from China in the Nara period and was initially the most frequently mentioned flower in Japanese poetry, celebrated for its sweet perfume and delicate blossoms.

This painting is characterized by the flat, decorative style typical of the Rinpa school. Most Rinpa artists followed in the footsteps of the great masters such as Tawaraya Sōtatsu (fl. ca 1600-1640), Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716) and Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828), and this work certainly exemplifies the tradition. They express their inborn sensibilities in a free use of vivid colours and bold decorative pattern. Rinpa masters’ works share at least one important feature: the striking beauty of abstract pattern and design.

The trunk of the ancient plum tree is executed with the use of tarashikomi. This technique, favoured by the Rinpa school, consists in dropping dark ink (sumi) into pale black sumi before it has completely dried, creating an effect of pooled colours with softly blurred edges in order to produce a convincing sense of depth and age.

The striking decorative effect complements the true-to-nature depiction of the spring and summer flowers which grow in the vicinity of the tree and along the silver river. Among them there are irises (kakitsubata) and candock (nuphar japonicum, kōhone); the plum tree is surrounded by a growth of plants and flowers such as rhododendron (tsutsuji), daisies and a primrose (sakurasō); a white bletilla striata (shiran) grows solitary on a small grassy hill. In the last two panels there is hosta sieboldiana (togiboshi), with its tall stalk and large leaves, some ferns (warabi), wild chrysanthemum, a pink lily (yuri) and a spear flower (yabukoji), a winter plant with small red berries. They all seem to grow, suspended in the midst of the golden cloud.

The naturalistic rendering of the plants is in stark contrast with the abstract and totally modern treatment of the silver river and the golden clouds which are divided by the straight line of the plum tree trunk.

The composition is similar to the right hand panel of the pair of screens by Ogata Kōrin, property of the Idemitsu Collection, Tōkyō.

Provenance: Japan.

Helena Markus Antique Japanese Screens. MasterArt at TEFAF 2014. 14-23 march 2014 - http://www.masterart.com/