Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Small Bird and Chrysanthemums

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Kawaguchiya Shōzō 川口屋正蔵 (ca. 1824-1852), publisher

Title

Small Bird and Chrysanthemums

Period

Edo Period

Year

1830s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Edo (location)

Dimensions

Chūtanzakuban: 36.9 x 12.4 cm (14 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription Text/Poem: 寄鳥想 Kichō omou Thoughts on an Exotic Bird
大鵬の　たかき心の　君ゆへに　うきみてさゝゐ　よりもつかれす
Translation: He is a great lord with a mind that flies as high as that of the roc, so he will have none of me, who dare not fly very high.;

Signature: 廣重筆 Hiroshige hitsu (Brushed by Hiroshige)

Seals: Designer's seal: 弌立斎 Ichiryūsai; Publisher's seal: 川正 Kawashō (Kawaguchiya Shōzō)

Identification

Edition

Version with wood grain in blue shading lower left

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.217.2

Type

Exhibition History

Of Clover and Chrysanthemum
Autumn Themes in Japanese Woodblock Prints
Sep 01, 2010 – Dec 12, 2010

Label copy

A small yellow bird perches on the red and white chrysanthemums, and next to it inscribed a kyôka poem (light verse) which reads:

“Thoughts on an Exotic Bird

He is a great lord,

with a mind that flies as high

as that of the roc.

So he will have none of me,

who dare not fly very high.”

Of Clover and Chrysanthemums
Autumn Themes on Paper and Cloth
Sep 15, 1995 – Dec 10, 1995

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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)
Kawaguchiya Shōzō 川口屋正蔵 (ca. 1824-1852), publisher
Small Bird and Chrysanthemums, 1830s
Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e)
Chūtanzakuban: 36.9 x 12.4 cm (14 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.217.2

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