Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

Canary and Herbaceous Peony (Shakuyaku kanaari)

Maker

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849, b. in Edo, Japan)

Title

Canary and Herbaceous Peony (Shakuyaku kanaari)
Untitled (known as Small Flowers)

Period

Edo Period

Year

ca. 1834

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

color, ink

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Image: 24.9 x 17.3 cm (9 13/16 x 6 13/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription Text/Poem: 芍薬　カナアリ

Translation: the Chinese poem to the left reads: The peony comes from Yangzhou and is the champion of fragrant flowers in late spring

Poem by Wang Shipeng

The characters for "one-thousand petals" signify the peony.The place mentioned is Yang Chou, a town in the middle of Kiangsu Province, north of the Yangtze River, China.

Signature: Zen Hokusai Iitsu hitsu

Seals: Combination seal ~ rounded-rectangular | manji ~ artist's emblem | kiwame ~ censor's seal

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.500

Type

Exhibition History

Works in Process
Jul 31, 2021 – Jan 23, 2022

Label copy

This rare pairing of a printer’s proof with a finished print offers a glimpse into the collaborative nature of the woodblock printing process. Upon receiving a design sketch from the artist-in this case Hokusai-the carver would paste it onto a woodblock and cut into it. As a result, few original sketches survive today. A monochrome proof like this one was printed from the carved block and returned to the artist for instructions and edits. The annotations on this proof’s right side, which specify color preference, were added to advance the process.

Given the compositional differences between these two works, it is unclear whether the print eventually evolved from this specific proof. Nevertheless, the record of the collaborative interaction between artist, carver, and printer remains noteworthy. [see also 34.484].

Process and Function
Traditional Japanese Printmaking Technique
Jan 19, 2007 – May 27, 2007

Label copy

This is a later impression of a print from Hokusai's "Small Flowers" series.

Hokusai's Sketchbooks
May 22, 1992 – Jul 25, 1992

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849, b. in Edo, Japan)
Canary and Herbaceous Peony (Shakuyaku kanaari); Untitled (known as Small Flowers), ca. 1834
Polychrome wood block print
Image: 24.9 x 17.3 cm (9 13/16 x 6 13/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.500

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