Paulownias and Chrysanthemums
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Paulownias and Chrysanthemums is a 1804 unspecified by Sakai Hōitsu, a Nihonga work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a branch of paulownia leaves and white chrysanthemums. The artist used a Japanese trick called *tarashikomi*. He let ink and color drip on the paper. This made the leaves and bark look bumpy and real. Paulownia means strength. Chrysanthemums mean autumn. The work is from the early 1800s, during Japan’s Edo period. Try looking up Sakai Hōitsu (Japanese, 1761–1828) next.
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.
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.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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