Japan, screen, Kano School, Edo period, late 17th century.

This six-panel screen depicts an idyllic garden where a pair of pheasants and a pair of ducks rest peacefully by a small waterfall among the rocks. On the left, a gnarled cypress tree is covered in snow, while camellias add touches of color, alluding to winter. The right side of the screen shows blooming peonies, alluding to spring.

In Japan, the progression of seasonal changes is an important element in the appreciation of art and beauty, as it is closely associated with the awareness of the passage of time and the evanescence of nature.

In China and Japan, the peony, called "the queen of flowers," is an emblem of wealth and high social status or rank.

Mineral pigments, gofun and gold on paper. Black lacquer mount.

Kano School, Edo period, late 17th century.

172 X 370 cm.