Peacock and Peonies, Utagawa Hiroshige

Artwork Overview

Utagawa Hiroshige, Peacock and Peonies
1830s, Edo period (1600–1868)
1797–1858
Peacock and Peonies, 1830s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 382 x 176 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 15 1/16 x 6 15/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 382 x 181 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 15 1/16 x 7 1/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial
Accession number: 1928.7394
Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label: Asian Gallery, Summer 2003, Youmi Efurd Kacho-e or Bird and Flower Prints As wealthy merchants and educated samurai shaped a new elite culture in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, kacho-e, or the bird and flower prints, became increasingly popular. Yet, kacho-e were not as common as ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints) depicting other subjects. Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the foremost wood-block print artists of his day, and through his genius, the kacho-e print genre achieved popularity previously unknown. Hiroshige’s kacho-e prints prospered because he and his publishers were able to meet the public demand for images that presented traditional styles and symbolism in a modern format. Hiroshige’s prints were enlivened by his special poetic sensibility, reflected also in his kacho-e prints. Hiroshige’s bird and flower prints are a rich combination of classical painting styles, literary references, symbolic meaning, poetic metaphor, calligraphy, and history.

Exhibitions