A Japanese eight-panel folding screen painted on silver leaf with delicate gilded clouds, depicting an elegant springtime naturalistic scene. At the center of the composition is a rooster and hen accompanied by their chicks beneath a majestic cherry tree in full bloom, whose branches extend harmoniously across the panels. On the left, a stream flows through the landscape among rocks and lush vegetation. The use of silver leaf, softened by subtle patination and punctuated by areas of gold, lends luminosity and a refined, ethereal atmosphere to the composition. Work executed in the 29th year of the Shōwa era (1954). The byobu is signed Cho Kagai in the lower right. Chō Kagai (1880–1965) was a Japanese painter active from the late Meiji period through the Shōwa era, known for naturalistic compositions depicting flowers and birds, executed in a traditional decorative style. A disciple and nephew of Suzuki Kason, he lived and worked in Komatsu, in Ishikawa Prefecture. In 1929, he was commissioned to create the large flower-and-bird ceiling painting in the main hall of Akasaka Hikawa Shrine in Tokyo, produced to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the shrine’s relocation. The work features traditional natural motifs, symbolically associated with wishes for prosperity and continuity. Byōbu (屏風), literally “wind protection screens,” are traditional Japanese folding screens originally created to divide spaces and today appreciated above all as striking wall-mounted paintings. ---The byobu is in good condition, with minor signs of wear due to age and imperfections on the paper. Please refer to the pictures for further details. The item will be carefully packed and shipped via DHL or FedEx, accompanied by the original certificate of authenticity issued by Mastromauro Japanese art gallery based in Milan, Italy. 319