Japanese Namban Screen. ca. 1550. In Portugal-Japão: 450 anos de memórias. Embaixada de Portugal no Japão, 1993.
A detail from one of four large folding screens on display in the Museu de Arte Antiga in Lisbon. Namban was the word used to refer to Portuguese traders who, in this scene, are dressed in colorful pantaloons and accompanied by African slaves. Jesuits appear in black robes, while the Japanese observe the newcomers from inside their home. The screen materials included gold-covered copper and paper, tempera paint, silk, and lacquer.
