Folding screen. Japan, Taisho period, first quarter of the 20th century

Folding screen. Japan, Taisho period, first quarter of the 20th century.
Painted silk on a wooden frame.
2 panels.
In very good condition. Restored.
Measurements: 153 x 76.5 cm (panel); 153 x 153 cm (total).

A two-panel Japanese folding screen decorated with a naturalistic scene featuring waterfowl, some perched among the riverside vegetation and others depicted in flight. The composition stands out for its delicate balance between the figures and the expansive empty spaces—a technique deeply rooted in the Japanese pictorial tradition—while the asymmetrical arrangement of the birds lends rhythm and movement to the scene. Against the dark background of the silk, the painting is rendered using a limited palette of greens, grays, and earth tones, creating a refined, almost monochromatic effect in which the meticulous rendering of the plumage and aquatic plants stands out. The calligraphic inscription in the upper left corner completes the composition and reinforces its pictorial and poetic character. The work reflects the continuity of traditional Japanese painting during the Taishō period (1912–1926), a time when nihonga (Japanese painting) maintained themes linked to nature and historical techniques, combining them with a renewed naturalistic and decorative sensibility.