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A PAIR OF JAPANESE MAP SCREENS SHOWING JAPAN AND THE WORLD, EDO PERIOD (NINETEENTH-CENTURY)
估價
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
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招標截止
描述
- A pair of map screens, showing the world, and Japan. [Japan, Edo period (nineteenth-century)]
World. Six-fold screen with a map of the world with geographical inscriptions, ink and colour on buff ground,Japan. Six-fold screen with a map of Japan with geographical inscriptions, ink and colour on buff ground, (1110 x 2870mm.), a few minor repairs or areas of loss
出版
Hubbard, Japoniae Insulae, (2012), p.100-101; Jōtokuji temple, Fukui Prefecture (Important Cultural Properties), earlier but similar examples
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
拍品資料及來源
MONUMENTAL CARTOGRAPHICAL SCREENS FROM JAPAN'S EDO PERIOD. The first screen depicts a map of the world relatively accurately. The artist has used a varied colour scheme for the countries with equatorial and tropical lines marked in white. In the lower margin is a round insert of Antarctica, marked in red.
The second screen depicts a map of Japan extensively annotated with place names and listings of the provinces and their revenues. The provinces are clearly defined by borderlines and different colours, some areas showing dense forests or mountain ranges with red lines denoting the major routes both by land and water. It is made in the Gyōki style. It was the style for cartographic portrayal of the Japanese islands before the arrival of the Europeans, and later maps of Japan depended largely on this original work up to and during the Edo period. Gyōki-Bosatsu was a Buddhist monk (668-749), who is credited with the creating of this style of map, even though there is no evidence that he ever did.
"A Gyōki-type map shows the three main islands of Japan, excluding Hokkaido, divided into sixty-six kuni [fiefs], and an attempt is made to show the size difference in each ... Gyōki-type maps are chorographic representations intending to show the relative position and size of the provinces and, in a number of cases, the main roads. They do not contain a scale although some give an indication of travel time between points on the map. This type of depiction survived for centuries, even after Japanese mapmakers knew how to make more accurate maps. They became stereotyped, as was common with so many other aspects of the arts in Japan" (Hubbard).
The large maps mounted on screens might have had an educational use but they would also have been objects of curiosity and decoration as well as conversation pieces.
The second screen depicts a map of Japan extensively annotated with place names and listings of the provinces and their revenues. The provinces are clearly defined by borderlines and different colours, some areas showing dense forests or mountain ranges with red lines denoting the major routes both by land and water. It is made in the Gyōki style. It was the style for cartographic portrayal of the Japanese islands before the arrival of the Europeans, and later maps of Japan depended largely on this original work up to and during the Edo period. Gyōki-Bosatsu was a Buddhist monk (668-749), who is credited with the creating of this style of map, even though there is no evidence that he ever did.
"A Gyōki-type map shows the three main islands of Japan, excluding Hokkaido, divided into sixty-six kuni [fiefs], and an attempt is made to show the size difference in each ... Gyōki-type maps are chorographic representations intending to show the relative position and size of the provinces and, in a number of cases, the main roads. They do not contain a scale although some give an indication of travel time between points on the map. This type of depiction survived for centuries, even after Japanese mapmakers knew how to make more accurate maps. They became stereotyped, as was common with so many other aspects of the arts in Japan" (Hubbard).
The large maps mounted on screens might have had an educational use but they would also have been objects of curiosity and decoration as well as conversation pieces.