Lot 65: Tosa school (late Muromachi or early Momoyama period, second half 16th century)

Pine trees and Chinese black pines
Inscribed by Tosa Mitsunobu (1646-1710) Sakon shogen Mitsunari sho and sealed Mitsunari no in attributing the painting to Tosa Mitsunobu (1434-1525)
Six-panel sceen; ink, color, gold and gold leaf on paper and metal plate
57 7/8 x 137 1/4 in. (147 x 350cm.)

Screens like this one from Japan's late-medieval period in the native Japanese, or Yamato-e, style are surprisingly abstract and modern. The gold ground creates a mysterious, luminous setting for a minimalist landscape of pines. Grouped close to the foreground, twisting pines contrast with the severity of straight Chinese black pines. Bamboo grass at the base of the trees is partially cropped by scalloped gold clouds and gentle hillocks and adds another dimension of texture and rhythm to this striking composition. The sun setting beyond a distant mountain ridge is crafted of a semi-circular metallic plate that has been attached to the surface of the painting.