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Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Kingfisher and hydrangea (Ajisai ni kawasemi)

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Sanoya Kihei 佐野屋喜兵衛 (1717-1875

Title

Kingfisher and hydrangea (Ajisai ni kawasemi)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1830s

Medium

  • polychrome woodblock print

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Polychrome woodblock print

Materials

ink, color

Supports

  • paper

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Sheet: 38.2 x 17.4 cm (15 1/16 x 6 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription near center. [text and poems] Ajisai ya (translates to) Like the hydrangea blooming beside the water mizu ni sakine to (translates to) one may be of a different color mizukusashi (translates to) later on 34.146 K121; 34.287/K76Hydrangeas change color from the time they first bloom to their height. So too can a person (likely a courtesan likened to the opulent flower) change one's mind in the midst of an assignation or affair.

Signature: Signed at left | Hiroshige hitsu

Seals: Artist's seal | Yusai; publisher's seal | Kikakudo han

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.287

Type

  • Prints

Related Objects

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Rooster and Lacecap Hydrangeas (Ajisai ni niwatori), Edo Period

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Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

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)
Sanoya Kihei 佐野屋喜兵衛 (1717-1875
Edo, Japan), publisher
Kingfisher and hydrangea (Ajisai ni kawasemi), 1830s
Polychrome woodblock print
Sheet: 38.2 x 17.4 cm (15 1/16 x 6 7/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.287

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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