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Horses in Stables: Spring

Culture
Japanese
Date
17th century
made in
Japan, Asia
Classification
Furniture, paintings
Collection
Asian Art
Current Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall: 59 1/4 x 138 1/2 in. (150.5 x 351.8 cm)
dimensions when closed and folded: 59 1/4 in. x 23 1/2 in. x 5 in. (150.5 x 59.7 x 12.7 cm)
Credit Line
Funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Baer
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
4:1970.1
NOTES
This screen by an unidentified artist of the Kano school depicts an important subject in Japanese painting. Screen painters popularized the subject of horses in stables (umaya zu) during the Muromachi period (1392–1573).The subject continued to be painted throughout the Momoyama period (1573–1615) and the early Edo period (1615–1868), reflecting the enthusiasm of the warrior class and concern for horses during a period that witnessed many civil wars.

Seasonal details of trees and flowers were often prominently worked into the settings of such compositions. Here, each of the 12 panels shows a single horse tethered by silken ropes to its individual stall. Across the upper portion of the screen, weeping cherry trees represent spring. These seasonal themes are carried out in the sumptuous Kano-school style with an extensive use of gold and silver kirikane (“cut-gold”) decorative techniques.

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