A Large Ivory Inlay Meiji Era (1868-1912) Floor Screen
From our Japanese Collection, a large and beautiful Meiji Period (1868-1912) inlaid two-panel floor screen, made from carved and lacquered hardwood, then inlaid with ivory, mother of pearl, and bone, depicting two independent scenes of lovely Japanese woman in the company of their playful children, all contained within red and black cartouches of flowering cherry blossom branches. As is typical for these types of screens, the reverse side is decorated more modestly, here featuring repeated renditions of the red against black cherry blossom motif. Overall, this high quality, finely-rendered example would be a dramatic and stunning addition to any room.
Size and condition: Total dimensions are 72 inches tall by 66 1/2 inches wide. (Each panel is 72 inches tall by 33 1/4 inches wide). There are several condition issues to note, though all are typical style losses for pieces like this, and none detract from the overall majesty of the piece. There is a loss of a small, irregular, triangular-shaped piece of ivory from the flower basket of the woman on the right. This is depicted more closely in our last photo / photo #12. There is also apparently a somewhat amateurish attempt by somebody in the past, to inpaint over some faded black lacquer to the left side scene, and this is seen in one off-color line which does not properly match the original black lacquer. This can be seen in the close-ups. Apart from that, just typical dings and scratches to the extremities of the wood, all commensurate with age and normal use.