the screens were made in Japan during the late 16th century. Later, at some point in history, it became a part of the Mary Griggs Burke Collection. The art piece was gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by the Mary and Jackson Burke foundation in 2015.
Flowers and grasses of four seasons is a pair of six-panel folding screens associated with the Kanō school and attributed to the circle of Kano Mitsunobu during the late Momoyama period. It is important to note that this painting is attributed to the circle of Kano Mitsunobu rather than definitively by Mitsunobu himself. Historians believe that is was likely created by an artist or group of artist closely working in Mitsunobu's style or workshop rather than being painted by him. It was common with Kano school where assistants and followers produced paintings using their master's style. The painting portrays a rich variety of seasonal flowers and grasses spread across a luminous gold-leaf background, creating a beautiful vibrant piece of art. Different plants represent the cycle of the four seasons, reflecting the Japanese appreciation for nature and the passing of time. The gold surface brightens the composition while also giving the screens a luxurious appearance suited to aristocratic and military residences of the Momoyama era. Delicate brushstrokes, soft color transitions, and carefully arranged natural forms create a calm and refined atmosphere.
The work also demonstrates the artistic characteristics of the Kanō school, which blended Chinese-inspired ink painting traditions with Japanese decorative aesthetics. Although the composition is densely filled with floral imagery, the artist skillfully balances detail with open space, preventing the screens from appearing overcrowded. The flowers and grasses seem to move gently across the panels, giving the painting rhythm and life. Rather than focusing on dramatic narrative scenes, the screens celebrate the beauty of the natural world itself. The combination of mineral pigments, ink, and gold leaf highlights the technical sophistication of Momoyama painting and reflects the cultural taste for grandeur, elegance, and seasonal symbolism during the period.
Flowers and Grasses of the Four Seasons presents nature as a living cycle showing how beauty changes but never disappears. The painting's seasonal plants and grasses suggest spring's freshness,summers fullness, autumns fading richness and winter's quieit rest all within one harmonious scene. Beyond decoration the work reflects a deeper Japanese idea, that plants are not only symbols of time but also objects of beauty themselves. The gold ground and carefully arranged forms crwate a sense of abundance and elegance while the varied blossoms and grasses hint at impermanence, renewal and the calm rhythm of the natural world. The painting celebrates both the order of nature and the fleeting quality of life.
