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Utagawa Hiroshige

Crane and autumn grasses (Hagi to susuki ni tsuru), 1830's-1840's

Description

Maker

Title

Crane and autumn grasses (Hagi to susuki ni tsuru)

Year

1830's-1840's

Medium

Polychrome woodblock print

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Techniques

Supports

Dimensions

Image: 34.1 x 11.4 cm (13 7/16 x 4 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription verso, bottom right: [Japanese Characters]

[text and poems]
Chinese poem:

When one dreams on the pillow of a thousand-year-old crane, it's New Year!

The Kobayashi caption for this poem (K318) reads "voice" for the Chinese character which on may interpret as "dream." The felicitous imagery is associated with the New Year. The poem seems to say that the poem can see the crane and landscape in his wine cup as if in a dream. Waking up on New Year's day to the sound of a thousand-year-old crane the scene is reflected in the wine cup.

Place

Japan; Tokyo

Type

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.252

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Of Clover and Chrysanthemum

September 1 - December 12, 2010

Of the “seven autumn grasses,” two are depicted in this print. The tall grass with reddish-purple flowers is Japanese bush clover (hagi); the flower plant below it is pampas grass (susuki).

A Chinese poem inscribed on the upper left reads:

“When one dreams on the pillow of a thousand-year-old crane, it's New Year!”

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Crane and autumn grasses (Hagi to susuki ni tsuru) with the accession number of 34.252. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.