Maruyama Ōkyo was the most fashionable and sought-after artist in Kyoto, a cultural center of 1700s Japan. A wealthy merchant commisioned Ōkyoto to make these screens for his home.
An immerseive decoration, the screens bring a sense of the outdoors inside and provide comfort as seasons change. On the right, spring flowers bloom and evergreen pine trees sprout fresh needles. On the left, maple trees change color and the autumn pampas grass sways in the breeze.
Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
1782
Pair of six-fold screens; ink, color, and gold on paper
67.5 x 148.75 in
70-30/1, 2
Image and text © The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2021
Permanent collection