Two-panel screen with a winter landscape

Two panel folding screen with a winter landscape

Late Edo Period (1615-1867)

171.5 x 187.5 cm

The screen is decorated with a bamboo forest under a thick layer of snow.

Bamboos are one of the favorites subjects in Japanese art since Muromachi period. Inspiring art and poetry, its appearance is elegant and the sound coming from the wind that creeps into its leaves is pleasant and relaxing. In zen philosophy, also, the bamboo has many different meanings: it bends but does not break, it is empty inside but hardy outside, and its section is a circular. 

In Japan this two elements, bamboo and snow, are often depicted together, belonging both to the cold season.