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Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Preparatory drawings: Titmouse on plum branch; Mandarin ducks under snow-laden bamboo

Description

Maker

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

Title

Preparatory drawings: Titmouse on plum branch; Mandarin ducks under snow-laden bamboo

Period

Edo Period

Year

1840s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Image: 38.9 x 17.5 cm (15 5/16 x 6 7/8 inches) Mat size: D

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription

[text and poems]
Urawakaki (translates to) Little titmouse
ume o kuguri te*(translates to) twisting on the plum branch
shijûkara (translates to) glowing with youth
haru o sakasa ni (translates to) wants to be upside down
kosu kokochi semu* (translates to) when the New Year arrives
Oku shimo no (translates to) A layer of frost
ue ni mo yuki o (translates to) and a cover of snow
kasanekite (translates to) slowly deepening
kireba kisamu* to (translates to) We will melt away
oshidori no naku (translates to) cry the mandarin ducks

Signature: Hiroshige hitsu

Seals: Artist's seal | Utagawa | Hiro (diamond seal)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.296

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

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

Label copy

This finely finished drawing by Hiroshige was apparently never employed for a print. Usually drawings of this type did not survive because they were cut up as the block cutter traced the design with a sharp tool onto the keyblock. The double composition demonstrates how prints such as that to the right would have been designed and prepared for printing from a single block.

Seeing with the Mind's Eye
The Art of Printmaking in Japan
Dec 31, 1999 – Mar 19, 2000

Use & Feedback

Image use

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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)
Preparatory drawings: Titmouse on plum branch; Mandarin ducks under snow-laden bamboo, 1840s
ink and color on paper
Image: 38.9 x 17.5 cm (15 5/16 x 6 7/8 inches) Mat size: D
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.296

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