Pheasant and a Flowering Branch
1615-1868
The artist Sakai Hoitsu conveys a serene but sharp impression of early spring by depicting a pheasant, rapeseed blossoms, and shepherd's purses. The pheasant body was painted in brilliant red and blue, while its feathers are expressed in more subtle tones with tarashikomi, a unique blotting method frequently employed by Rimpa artists for softening edges and outlines, achieved by applying colors to saturated areas that have not yet dried. Modest gold accents applied in fine lines and mists are another important element in Hoitsu's work that creates an Edo Rimpa feeling. Given its stylistic resemblance, this work is thought to have appeared at the same time as a bird-and-flower handscroll made in 1818 depicting the four seasons, currently in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
Color and ink on silk
43 5/8 x 16 1/4 in. (110.81 x 41.28 cm)
Overall h.: 75 1/4 in.
Overall w.: 20 1/16 in.
Gift of the Seattle Trust and Savings Bank and friends in memory of Cebert Baillargeon
65.110
