The Met, Cypress Palms, 73" X 55"

Gallery wrapped on raw canvas, overlapping fronds of moss ferns (shinobugusa) create a dramatic gold-and-silver background for a dynamically brushed waka poem in the distinctive style of Hon’ami Kōetsu, one of the most highly regarded and influential calligraphers of the early 17th century. The winter poem from the Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern is rendered in the scattered-writing mode (chirashi-gaki) with staggered columns. This piece arrives framed and ready to hang.