Lions and Tigers in Peony and Bamboo
Medium
One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on gilded paper
Dimensions
149 × 330 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1972.10.2
Tags
male
About this artwork
Sekkei lived and studied painting in Kyoto at the Kano school studio, the center of traditional painting activity in Japan since 1500. The use of gold foil as a backdrop for the frolicking animals served a practical as well as a decorative function. Because traditional Japanese rooms had no windows, interior lighting came from portable oil lamps and wax candles, whose effects were magnified by reflective surfaces.