Folding screen - Shunga Two-Panel Folding Screen (Byobu) – Erotic Art - Japan - Late Edo period

【Important notes】

・International buyers are responsible for any import duties, taxes, and charges not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please note that VAT paid to Catawiki is separate from and does not cover import duties or customs charges in your country. You may still be required to pay additional fees upon delivery, as determined by your local customs authorities.
・Shipping Details: Most items are shipped via Japan Post EMS (airmail). If you are in a hurry, we can arrange shipping via DHL or FedEx upon request for an additional fee.
・Damage and Issues: If you receive a damaged item, please contact us immediately. The damage must be reported to your local post office within 7 days of delivery, and promptly to us and Catawiki support.

【Product details】

An antique Japanese two-panel folding screen (byobu) featuring an original hand-painted shunga composition dating from the late Edo period (1800-1868).

The central painting depicts an intimate encounter between men and women within a traditional Japanese interior. Architectural details such as lattice doors and wooden fittings are combined with autumn grasses and expressive figure painting. The richly arranged garments, facial expressions and flowing contours of the figures give the work the distinctive character associated with late Edo-period hand-painted ukiyo-e shunga.

The painting is mounted across the two panels against a subdued silver-toned ground. The reverse is covered with decorative paper featuring repeating geometric and floral motifs, while simple wooden edging completes the screen.

This work is a hand-painted piece, giving the brushwork, colouring and individual details a particularly direct and intimate quality.

Fair antique condition. The screen shows considerable age-related wear throughout, including discolouration, fading, stains, water-drop marks, rubbing, creases, cracking, flaking and areas of loss to the painted surface and mounting paper. There are also tears, lifting and losses to the paper on the reverse.

The central hinge area shows substantial wear, including damaged and torn fabric, deterioration around the fittings, rust to the metal hinges and evidence of later repairs. The folding screen does not open completely flat.

Please review all photos carefully for the condition and details.

※Important: For Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco and Portugal, orders of €150 or less cannot currently be shipped due to the new €3 customs duty/IOSS issue. There is no confirmed resumption date. Please do not bid unless you are prepared to wait. Orders over €150 are not affected.

※Important Note: Due to size regulations, this item cannot be shipped to Spain, Germany, Denmark, and United Arab Emirates. We ask residents there to please refrain from bidding. The display stand is not included with this lot.

Dimensions when open: approx. H 72 cm W 187 cm D 2 cm
Dimensions when foldded: approx. H 72 cm W 93.5 cm D 3.5 cm

・Please make sure to review all the provided information, description, and images before placing your bid. The items shown in the photos are what is included in the lot. If anything shown as included is missing upon delivery, please contact us immediately.
・Some display stands or other items in the photos may be photography props and are not included in the sale. Please read the description carefully to confirm what is included.
・We make every effort to accurately represent the product's colors and textures in our photos. However, due to differences in monitors and device displays, as well as photographic conditions, slight color variations between the photos and the actual product may occur. We ask for your understanding in advance.

Thank you for your interest, and happy bidding!