Tosa School: Man and Ladies in Old Palace (1800) (14” x 18.5”)

Note: We will be consulting an auction house about this item but let us know if you are interested.
 
This is one illustration of what would have been a scroll of 54 elegant and richly colored painted images representing scenes from The Tale of Genji, painted for the court and aristocratic patrons.Per Wikipedia, “the Tosa style is characterized by rather flat, decorative compositions, fine linework, great attention to detail, and brilliant color”.
 
On the back of this piece is a description accompanied by a Certify Genuine stamp: Ancient court man and ladies enjoying the doll play in the palace. Old Japanese painting of Tosa School. Date about 1800.
 
We can’t help but notice that only one woman is holding a doll, or that it could be a child rather than a doll. Nor could we verify the source of the Certify Genuine stamp. But that is immaterial…
 
The piece has some gold leaf paint used on one wall which shines in the light as shown in photos. There are some creases suggesting it might have once been folded. There are also a couple of moisture spots. We have been advised the piece needs to be taken out of frame to determine if acid free paper was used or if there has been leaching.
 
As framed, the art has a white cream mat, nonreflective glass, and a  gold painted wood frame.
 
We assume this was purchased in the 1920s or 1930s during a visit to Japan by the Burr sisters.
 
H 114: x L 18 ½” x D ½”
Image H 6” x L 8 ¾”
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.