Irises by Ogata Kōrin
In my bookcase is a copy of the Royal Academy catalogue for The Great Japan Exhibition, held in 1981.
I went with my father and we both loved it to bits!
He came away with a passion for Samurai armour - particularly sword hilts - netsuke and inro, and I came away with a passion for woodblock prints, ceramics and Edo period Kimono.
This particular work 'Irises' by Ogata Kōrin - according to the catalogue - was not there!
Although for years I have thought it was where I first came across it, now I'm wondering if I have ever seen it in the flesh, perhaps it is too precious to leave Japan ...it's considered a Japanese National Treasure, and I can see why, it's absolutely beautiful.
The image above is just a wee portion of a pair of screens and the background is decorated with sheets of gold leaf. Click on it to find out more about and the man who created it.