Pair of low folding screens Teachings Sen no Rikyû - Lacquered wood

A pair of low four-panel folding screens 屏風 (byôbu), each covered with extensive calligraphy in black ink on mulberry paper and devoted to teachings associated with the celebrated tea master Sen no Rikyû 千利休 (1522–1591). One screen contains passages from the Southern Record 南方録 (Nanpôroku), an influential collection of writings concerning the principles, practice and philosophy of the Way of Tea 茶道 (sadô), traditionally connected with the teachings of Rikyû. The work is an important source for later tea culture, although its authorship and the circumstances of its compilation have long been debated. The companion screen is devoted to the Hundred Poems of Rikyû 利休百首 (Rikyû Hyakushu), a collection of one hundred didactic verses concerning the preparation, utensils, etiquette and underlying principles of tea practice. Traditionally attributed to Rikyû, the poems became widely used as a concise guide to the discipline of tea, although their precise authorship and date of compilation are likewise not certain. Both screens are dated, signed and sealed. The inscriptions date them to Meiji 45 明治四十五年 (1912). Executed in ink on mulberry paper and mounted within black lacquered wooden frames. Period: Japan – Meiji period, dated Meiji 45 (1912). Dimensions: Each screen: Height 37.2 cm; Total width 189.2 cm (4 × 47.3 cm). Combined width when placed side by side: 378.4 cm. In very good antique condition with traces of age and use consistent with their age, including some light discolouration and wear to the paper and frames. Please refer to the photographs for a clear impression of the condition. Complete with their original wooden storage box 共箱 (tomobako), bearing dated, signed and sealed inscriptions.

Estimate:$474.29

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