Painted Lantern

The delicate silk surfaces collectively bear a continuous composition that unfurls around the lantern to show two small birds, likely Java sparrows (bunchō), alighting on the blooming branches of a blue lace-cap hydrangea. This work showcases Keibun’s particular talent for charming and meticulously rendered bird-and-flower subjects. One of the panels can be lifted to allow access to the lantern’s interior cavity, which contains a recessed area in which a light source can be placed. Originally, the lantern was designed to hold a small metal dish for oil or a candle; the Feinbergs modified the lantern to accommodate an electric bulb. (A drawer in the base was perhaps intended to hold supplies.) Once lit, the flickering of the flame inside would have provided additional suggestive dynamism to the fitful movements of the small birds and a rich, interior luster to the flower petals. The execution is testament to Keibun’s level of skill: though highly detailed, each layer of colored pigment must be applied lightly and without significant overpainting in order for light to travel through the painted surface evenly, avoiding areas of infelicitous buildup that would draw the viewer’s attention and distract from the overall composition.