Folding Screen with The Tale of Genji

Edo (Japan) · 3F · World Art · Japan

This folding screen takes as its subject "The Tale of Genji," a masterpiece of Heian-period Japanese literature. It is thought to have originally been one of a pair, but only a single screen survives today. Stylistically it follows the tradition of Tosa Mitsuoki (1539-1613) and is presumed to be a seventeenth-century work of the Edo period. The painting depicts scenes from Chapters 7 and 51 of the tale; the women shown wear Edo-period rather than Heian-period dress, reflecting the era in which the screen was made.

See it in person at the National Museum of Korea — 3F · World Art · Japan

Source: based on official e-museum records (National Museum of Korea).