Christie’s will auction a pair of six-paneled screens attributed to Kano Naizen (1570-1616) on Mar 23, Southern Barbarians Come to Trade, The newly discovered screens have been stored away for four hundred years that they have not previously been published. They present a narrative of the dynamic commerce of the East and West around 1600 depicting a ship setting sail from an imaginary foreign land, perhaps China, and another ship unloading cargo in the port of Nagasaki on the west coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. The pair of screens, in exceptionally fine condition, features the gold leaf and jewel-like colors of costly ground malachite and azurite that signal the work of the master, Kano Naizen, whose seals appear on both screens.
Also of note is an exceptional Noh robe, karaori with autumn grasses, Edo Period, early 19th century. This silk robe, previously at the Idemitsu Museum of Arts in Tokyo, was used during Noh performances and most likely worn for a main character of a lonely woman due to the muted, cool colors of brown and light blue. Noh robes were never identical, but there was a similar robe date from the 17th century in the collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya, Japan.
The Korean section will present an elegant and scholarly ensemble of porcelain, screens and traditional and modern paintings. One of the outstanding pieces in the group of porcelain is a rare and important blue and white porcelain dragon jar for the Korean Royal Court, Joseon Dynasty (18th century). The massive jar, almost two feet high, was sculpted on a wheel by an expert potter and is a testament to the mastery required to achieve the symmetry of the swelling body and tapering foot that ends with a discrete flare. The artistic quality of the dragons on this jar points to a member of the royal painter atelier who would make a twice-yearly trip to the royal kilns to decorate the most important vessels. Dragons with five claws appear on works of art made exclusively for the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The dragon is a symbol of the king, representing power, authority, and dignity.
The Korean section will present an elegant and scholarly ensemble of porcelain, screens and traditional and modern paintings. One of the outstanding pieces in the group of porcelain is a rare and important blue and white porcelain dragon jar for the Korean Royal Court, Joseon Dynasty (18th century). The massive jar, almost two feet high, was sculpted on a wheel by an expert potter and is a testament to the mastery required to achieve the symmetry of the swelling body and tapering foot that ends with a discrete flare. The artistic quality of the dragons on this jar points to a member of the royal painter atelier who would make a twice-yearly trip to the royal kilns to decorate the most important vessels. Dragons with five claws appear on works of art made exclusively for the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The dragon is a symbol of the king, representing power, authority, and dignity.