This two panel screen of a cat lounging in a shaded area with a sudare barrier. The background on this screen is a smoked silver leaf.
Signed Ko Kakei, attributed to Atomi Kakei
Atomi Kakei was a noted painter who studied under Maruyama Oritsu, Nakajima Raisho and Hine Taizan. In 1875 she founded a Girls school in Tokyo. She was a Confucian scholar and traditional thinker who put women in a positive role in society. This formed many of the ideas about women in society during the Meiji period. She painted in her later years to supplement the family income. She also had connections to the Imperial family. This may have been the source of inspiration in this painting. Her signature is also interesting in that it connotes Chinese scholarship; it reads Ko (Yellow) Kakei (the Chinese character for flower here refers directly to a Chinese flower)
Size: 67-1/4 inches wide x 72-3/4 inches tall.
Age: Taisho Period (1912-1926)
Medium: Mineral pigments and smoked silver leaf on paper.
Condition: Excellent