Two-panel Japanese Lacquered Screen

Two-panel Meiji-period screen in honor of the wedding of Toshitsune and Tamahime.
Wood, black lacquer, gold.
Meiji period.
h. 51 in. ; w. 30 in. (per panel).

This two-panel screen, or byôbu (屏風), is decorated, on one side, with scenes and landscapes inspired by the hiramaki-e (平蒔絵) lacquered lids of suzuribako (硯箱) or tabikushibako (旅櫛箱), the writing or makeup boxes of the Edo period, particularly those of Kanyōsai.

The interior of the screen, on the other hand, features two large figures in takamaki-e (高蒔絵), a lacquer technique with a higher relief than hiramaki-e. The costume and gestures of these characters, particularly the folded command fan held by the male figure, indicate a high rank in Japanese nobility. The combination of heraldic symbols (mon 紋), confirming this rank, signifies an alliance between the Kuyo, Maeda, Ashikaga, Maeda, Shimazu, and Tokugawa clans. These heraldic signs collectively seem to reference the 1603 marriage of Maeda Toshitsune and Tamahime, daughter of Hidetaka Tokugawa.