伝狩野永徳筆　唐美人唐子図屏風|Chinese Women and Children in a Palace Garden

Art Historical Context

This magnificent six-panel folding screen,Chinese Women and Children in a Garden*, attributed to the master Kano Eitoku (3–1590), exemplifies the grandeur of Japan's Kano school during the Edo period1615–1868). Though dated to the 17th centurylikely from Eitoku's influential workshop—the work captures his signature bold, dynamic style, with elegant Chinese-inspired figures of women, children, boys, girls, and servants gracefully inhabiting a lush palace garden. Measuring an impressive 65¼ × 146¼ inches, it was designed as a *byōbu* (folding screen), a luxurious room divider prized by samurai elites and nobility for adorning opulent interiors. Crafted in ink, vibrant colors, gold, and gold leaf on paper, the screen's shimmering metallic ground evokes an otherworldly splendor, a hallmark of Momoyama-to-Edo decorative painting. This technique not only heightened visual drama but also symbolized prosperity and harmony, drawing from idealized Tang dynasty (Chinese) motifs popular in Japanese art. The Kano school's dominance in official painting commissions underscores its cultural prestige, blending realism with rhythmic compositions to celebrate refined courtly life. A gem of the H. O. Havemeyer Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this screen invites visitors to step into a world of poised beauty and familial warmth, reflecting Japan's enduring fascination with continental elegance.

About the Artist

Kano Eitoku · 1543–1590

Japanese, 1543–1590