Poppies, early 19th century, Sakai Hōitsu, Japanese, 1761 - 1828, 36 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. (93.35 x 29.85 cm), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan, 18th-19th century, Sakai Ho_itsu was a member of a distinguished samurai family. In addition to mastering several martial arts, he also excelled at poetry, Noh dance and tea ceremony. After experimenting with a variety of painting styles, he became intensely interested in the decorative Rinpa school, named after one of its greatest masters, Ogata Ko_rin. Searching out remaining works by Ko_rin, who had died forty-five years before Ho_itsu's birth, he published a woodblock book of Ko_rin's works. Here, Ho_itsu's use of jewel-like pigments and the tarashikomi technique of pooling colors to create a softly mottled effect, continues the style championed by Ko_rin.