LIN TAIXI: A SUPERB PAIR OF SIX-PANEL BYOBU (FOLDING SCREENS) DEPICTING DRAGONS IN A THUNDERSTORM
Lot 312 - JPN0625

By Lin Taixi (active c. late 18^th-early 19^th century), signed Lin Taixi with seals
Japan, late 18^th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Ink on paper. Mounted on silk brocade on six-wood panels with metal fittings. Superbly painted to the first panel to depict three dragons in a struggle, the turbulent waves thrashing against craggy rocks and dark clouds harkening the incoming storm. One dragon sinuously wrapped around the trunk of a gnarled pine tree. The second panel depicting five dragons in a tussle in the sky, the scrolling clouds adding movement to the dynamic composition.

Inscriptions: Signed to the right screen: Lin Taixi 林苔溪 and sealed Lin Tai zhi yin 林泰之印 & Gui zhai 歸斎.
Signed to the left screen: Huangdu 皇都 Taixi 苔溪 and sealed Lin Tai zhi yin 林泰之印 & Gui zhai 歸斎

SIZE 165 x 364 cm and 165 x 364 cm

Condition: Overall good, worn condition. Some soiling, several worm holes, few stains, and flaking to pigment. Small losses with associated repairs and touchups, all as visible in the images provided. The back with signs of wear and use.

Lin Taixi (active c. late 18^th-early 19^th century) was a well-known Chinese painter resident in Nagasaki.

Museum comparison:
For the widely popular prototype by Chen Rong (circa 1200 – 1266) which inspired the present panels and dictated representation of dragons in later Japanese and Chinese schools, see the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 17.1697. Note the similar style, horizontal orientation of the composition, and the depiction of dragons soaring amidst clouds, mists, whirlpools, and rocky mountains. For another closely related earlier painting of a dragon, dated to the 15th century, see the Kyoto National Museum, museum number AK1532.

Auction comparison:
Compare a hanging scroll depicting a dragon in clouds, by Sesson Shukei (circa 1492-1577), at Bonhams, Japanese and Korean Art, 21 September 2022, New York, lot 583 (sold for USD 20,400). Compare a related later pair of six-panel screens depicting a dragon, clouds, and waves, by Morimura Yoshine (1871-1938), at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 16 March 2021, New York, lot 6 (sold for USD 25,000).