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Landscape painting of a leafless tree with curled trunk framed in black with Japanese Screens in gold font above

Japanese Screens

By (author) Anne-Marie Christin
By (author) Claire-Akiko Brisset
By (author) Torahiko Terada

£124.99

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  • A lavishly illustrated history of Japanese screens — limited to 3,000 numbered copies  
  • Includes a poster-size reproduction of an exceptional Japanese screen suitable for framing
  • Japanese binding, housed in a clam-shell box, with magnetic closure
Full Description

Japanese screens (byobu) are made of wooden lattices with two to twelve panels, covered with a canvas of paper or fabric. Artists, embracing the dynamic format of screens, incorporated shadows and other elements on the canvas to direct the viewer’s eye from one panel to the next. Screens are unique for being beautiful artworks as well as lightweight, portable objects, acting as backdrops for court ceremonies or partitions for intimate tea services.

This sumptuous book explores the 1,300-year history of screens created in Japan. In the text, leading experts on Japanese art and culture describe how screens developed from the 8th to the 21st century, from their ceremonial use in royal residences and Buddhist temples to their functional and decorative use in the homes of samurai and aristocracy. The authors examines the stylistic evolution of screens and the wide variety of subjects depicted, such as flying dragons, the passing of seasons, monumental battles, and The Tale of Genji.

This book includes 250 colour illustrations, many that are reproduced to full page, and shows the screens to their best advantage with a landscape orientation and large-format size. It features Japanese-sewn binding and is kept in a clamshell box, which contains foldout poster reproductions of six screens housed in a separate pocket inside the box. This volume is an elegant addition to the library of any admirer of Japanese art.

About the Author

Anne-Marie Christin was professor emeritus of classical literature at the University of Paris, founder of the Center for the Study of Writing and Image (CEEI), and author of A History of Writing.

Claire-Akiko Brisset is a professor of Japanese cultural history at the University of Geneva.

Torahiko Terada is a professor of comparative culture and literature at the University of Tokyo.

Look Inside
Specifications
Publisher
Abbeville Press
ISBN
9780789214072
Published
10th Dec 2021
Binding
Hardback
Territory
World excluding USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Australia
Size
355 mm x 254 mm
Pages
280 Pages
Illustrations
166 color
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