Scenes of European Ways of Life

During the Momoyama period, together with the arrival of Christianity came the motifs and techniques of European painting which were taught to Japanese artists. These screens were the work of such Japanese artists. They depict the Renaissance customs, the view of an inlet with sailboats, harvesting of grapes, all imitated after model paintings from the West. The efforts to master European techniques can be seen, for example in the three-dimensional depiction using shadows and in mixing Japanese pigments with walnut or perilla oil to create an effect similar to oil painting.