Lions and Tigers in Peony and Bamboo

Sekkei lived and studied painting in Kyoto at the Kano school studio, the center of traditional painting activity in Japan since 1500. The use of gold foil as a backdrop for the frolicking animals served a practical as well as a decorative function. Because traditional Japanese rooms had no windows, interior lighting came from portable oil lamps and wax candles, whose effects were magnified by reflective surfaces.