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

Terms

Object number1901.59.1468

DescriptionBird: Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus Linneaus; Flower: Camellia, Camellia japonica: Poem: shichigon-zekku; 4 lines; each with 7 Chinese characters
Label 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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