Lion

In the image, large palm trees stand against a gold ground. A trunk painted in forceful ink lines leans diagonally, with large fronds hanging from above. Several slender trunks stand to the right, and much of the gold ground is left bare. The lion is not visible in this image.

According to the museum, this work follows a sepia-toned Lion (present whereabouts unknown) that Seiho, back from Europe, based on sketches made there and exhibited three months later at the 7th Exhibition of New and Old Art. That work drew attention under the name "Golden Lion." Bold empty space is left on the pair of gold-ground screens, and a lion walks calmly among the palms, its fur precisely painted from the mane to the tips of its paws.

Besides this one, seven other lion screens painted just after his trip abroad are known. Compared with them, the lion here is more strongly colored, and it seems as if the color and the ink tones were meant to reinforce each other. The museum presents it as a monumental work in which the surprise and emotion Seiho brought back from Europe came to fruition.