The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center was awarded a grant by the Tokyo-based Sumitomo Foundation toward the urgent restoration of a six-panel byōbu (folding screen) of a tiger from the Loeb’s Asian art collection. Painted by Unkoku Tōeki (1591-1644), an artist active during the late Momoyama and early Edo periods, the screen is a formal triumph displaying a powerful tiger perched alone on a cliff at the edge of a bamboo grove. This rare work of cultural and historical significance came into Vassar's collection in 1999 as a gift of Joan and Robert Bernhard (Joan E. Mack, class of 1953). But in October 2021, Loeb staff noted the imperiled condition of the byōbu, a consequence of its age, materials, and its regular use for classroom instruction. Conservators evaluated the screen and concluded that the byōbu is in “precarious condition” with signs of warping, silk fiber losses, broken hinges, discoloration, abrasions, and severe cockling, among other concerns. The conservators stressed the imminent dangers of leaving the screens untreated, which risks rendering them unusable and beyond repair—a devastating blow to Vassar’s Asian art collection and pedagogical mission.

Alongside an earlier grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and critical intramural support, the Sumitomo Foundation’s grant will allow the tiger byōbu to be conserved by Nishio Conservation Studio in the coming months, restoring this significant work for future generations of teaching, learning, and enjoyment. The Sumitomo Foundation’s support was secured by the Loeb’s Monique D’Almeida, Deknatel Curatorial Fellow in Japanese Works on Paper, in collaboration with John P. Murphy, The Philip and Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings, and Kelly Reynolds, Head Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions.