Paulownias and Chrysanthemums

桐菊流水図屏風

early 1800s

Sakai Hōitsu 酒井抱一

(Japanese, 1761–1828)
Image: 152.7 x 154.9 cm (60 1/8 x 61 in.); Overall: 157.5 x 158.5 cm (62 x 62 3/8 in.)
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

Hōitsu often painted two-panel folding screens for urban clients residing in smaller spaces. A painting after this one in the Itabashi Museum in Tokyo shows an extended composition across a pair of two-panel screens.

Description

In this screen, Sakai Hōitsu expertly deployed a painting technique called “dripping-in” (tarashikomi). Ink and color dripped on the surface, and allowed to pool there, created the illusionistic effect of lichen-dotted tree bark and twisted chrysanthemum leaves. Paulownia and chrysanthemum are signifiers of late spring and early autumn as well as emblems of the Japanese imperial house. Paulownia also has medicinal properties and associations with fortitude, while chrysanthemum symbolizes good government.
Paulownias and Chrysanthemums

Paulownias and Chrysanthemums

early 1800s

Sakai Hōitsu

(Japanese, 1761–1828)
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.