Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Flying Cranes

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858, b. in Edo, Japan)

Title

Flying Cranes

Period

Edo Period

Year

1840-1850s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Chōban: 17.7 x 48.6 cm (6 15/16 x 19 1/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: 廣重筆 Hiroshige hitsu (Brushed by Hiroshige)

Seals: Designer's seal: 立斎 Ryūsai

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.481

Type

Exhibition History

Marking the Occasion
The Japanese Tradition of Surimono
Feb 03, 2006 – May 28, 2006

Label copy

It is not clear whether this print was intended as a surimono or very elaborate letter paper. It is included here because its imagery is closely related to that of other works in the exhibition.

A Celebration of the New Year in Japanese Woodblock Prints
Jan 01, 1990 – Mar 01, 1990

Label copy

The delicate yet loose, relaxed rendering of miniature cranes produces a festive, buoyant mood. Although such long surimono prints were sometimes commissioned for letter-writing paper, it appears that this print was not so intended. Only one other impression (in the Honolulu Academy of Arts) appears to be extant.

Image use

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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

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Flying Cranes, 1840-1850s
Polychrome woodblock print with embossing (surimono)
Chōban: 17.7 x 48.6 cm (6 15/16 x 19 1/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.481

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