Collection
Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons
| Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons |
| Pair of six-panel folding screens, color on paper; height 155.7 cm each, width 364.0 cm each; Edo period, 18th century; Gift of the Ii Family |
This pair of screens is unusual for its highly decorative composition, incorporating bamboo blinds that frame eight key plants associated with the theme of “birds and flowers of the four seasons.” More than thirty types of flowers and more than ten types of birds, all depicted in vivid colors on a gold ground, represent the progress of the seasons across the panels from right to left. The panels were mounted by an artisan of the town of Hikone in 1800.
