Autumn Flowers [left of a pair]

In this painting, a celebration of autumn, a dragonfly, grasshopper, and several other insects fly and jump among the fringed pink petals of dianthus, pink bush clover, and various flowering grasses. The painter, Oki Ichiga, served the lords of the Tottori Domain, on the island of Honshu, but lived in Japan’s capital, Edo (now Tokyo), where he was known for his eclectic style that combined elements of other well-known painters. In this work, his minutely detailed plants and insects are rendered meticulously He added the “dripped pigment” (tarashikomi) technique learned from the decorative painters of the Rinpa school, which enhances the suggestion of light and three-dimensionality.