Snow-Laden Camellias and Tree Sparrows
Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige I 歌川 広重
(Japanese, 1797–1858)
Dateabout 1832–1835 (first edition)
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and colors on paper; o-tanzaku
Dimensions37.2 x 17.2 cm (14 5/8 x 6 3/4 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
MarkingsSeal: Utagawa
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.59.1468
DescriptionBird: Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus Linneaus; Flower: Camellia, Camellia japonica: Poem: shichigon-zekku; 4 lines; each with 7 Chinese charactersLabel TextHiroshige's design of a pair of Eurasian Tree Sparrows (suzume) and red camellias, half-covered by the newly fallen snow on an early spring day, exists in different editions. Impressions from the earliest edition, such as this example, have a lead-gray background. In later editions the sky is blue with white snowflakes (carved into the background block). One of the plump sparrows turns in mid-flight, in the direction of the viewer, while her mate sings-its tiny mouth open. Adults such as these notably have brownish upperparts and white cheeks and throats marked with black. The fluffy, white plumage on their bellies has been rendered by means of embossing with an unlinked block (karazuri). The inscription refers to the first two lines of a Chinese poem entitled "Inquiry of a Stork" by Pai Lo T'ien (Hakurakuten, 772-846): The crow fights with the kite over food Sparrows dispute over nests; You stand alone by the pond On a windy, snowy evening.ProvenanceJohn Bancroft Collection
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