A PAIR OF SIX PANEL JAPANESE BYOBU-SCREENS DEPICTING THE TWELVE CHINESE IMMORTALS

A pair of six panel byobu-screens with monochrome ink paintings one depicting well and lesser known Chinese Immortals and Sages as the monks Hanshan and Shede reading a scroll; Li Tieguai breathing out his spiritual essence with his proper self in miniature; Liu Hai with his toad with three feet and Lu Dongbin with his sword crossing a river. The other byobu-screen depicting Qin Gao standing on his carp with a scroll in his hand; the Buddhist arhat Panthala known in Japan as Handaka (or Handakiya) releasing a dragon from his begging bowl; Zhang Gongming with his tiger; Lu Dongbin with his sword crossing a river and Shu Ren, the crane-riding man, reading a handscroll, all pasted on a ground with sprinkled gold and gold flakes. All paintings are attributed to Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781) by the various names and seals used by him: Shōhaku;Jasokuken; Joki; Jokisai etc.