Pair Large Framed Japanese Calligraphy "Dragon" & "Tiger", Mid 20th Century

A sublime Japanese two panel "Magpie and Peony" screen, ink and color on paper, Edo Period, late 18th or early 19th century, circa 1800, Japan. The two panel screen features a wond...

A delightful Japanese six panel painted paper screen featuring the beloved figure Hotei, Edo Period, early 19th century. Hotei, called Budai in China, and known as the Laughing Buddha or Fat Buddha in the West, is considered to be an emanation of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. In Japan, he also holds a special place as one of the Seven Lucky Gods, being the god of fortune, and protector of children. He is always portrayed as a mirthful and corpulent man, dressed in loose robes that show off his round belly. He carries a sack with him, said to be filled with treasure. As the protector of children, he is often portrayed with them playing on or around him, as he is here. The children portrayed in this screen are dressed in Chinese style clothing...

Two charming, small Japanese cloisonné dragon vases, Meiji to Taisho period, early 20th century, Japan. The miniature vases of baluster f...

A very large and exuberantly decorated Japanese Satsuma millefleur covered vase, marked Satsuma, Showa period, mid 20th century, Japan. The large vase of attractive baluster form, with a slightly splayed foot, narrow waist, and tapered body with high shoulders and short neck. The vase topped by a domed cover with a large finial shaped like a hoju, the wish fulfilling jewel. The vase decorated all over in a dense field of flowering blossoms - peony, lotus, and chrysanthemum - in a design known as millefleur, or a thousand flowers. The flowers freely and cheerfully painted in various colors of red, white, orange, green, blue and yellow, with raised white enamels...

Mid-20th Century Japanese silk embroidered framed painting A silk embroidered painting and is framed behind glass with a scene of women in a room with a stork in the doorway in the ...

Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677) Tiger and Dragon Early Edo Period, Circa 1650 A Pair of Six-fold Japanese Screens. Ink and slight color on paper. Dimensions: Each screen: H. 171 cm x W. 380 cm (67.5’’ x 149.5’’) In this pair of early Edo period Japanese screens a group of tigers prowl in a bamboo grove whipped with fierce wind, while a dragon claws through clouds and mist. The dragon embodies elemental qualities - looming out of the mist, the coils of its body disappearing in the clouds. The dragon is calling for rain, symbolizing spring which is considered the fountain of life. On the other side, the tigers calls for the wind, symbolizing autumn which is considered the end of life. Tigers were familiar motifs within Japanese art from ancient times though the animals were imaginary to the people in the 17th century. While dragons and tigers are usually associated as sacred and ferocious, in this painting, both animals have rather amusing expressions. The tigers appear to glare at the dragon with cat-like eyes, and the look on the swirling dragon’s face appears almost affectionate - lending a playful flair to an otherwise magnificent theme. The tiger and dragon are cosmological symbols of the balancing forces in the world. Screens such as this were originally meant to express the fluctuating nature of the world. For Japanese in the early Edo period, they likely suggested the powers of the cosmos. In Japan the tiger and dragon motif was originally absorbed into the circles of Zen monasteries before spreading into the secular world. The theme especially appealed to the military classes with the Kano school, the official painters to the Shogun and the samurai, being the leading contributors. The painter of this pair of screens, Kaiho Yusetsu (1598-1677), was closely patronized by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. In his later years he worked with Kano school artists...

Tani Bunchu (1823-1876) Tiger and Dragon A pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink on paper. In this grand pair of Japanese Ryuko-zu screens the tiger crouches low to the ground, ...

Modern 20th century Chinese Intaglio Calligraphy. This image represents the meaning of “Self Renewal“ characterized by its unique style of calligraphy related elements, such as wo...