Masters of the Woodblock: Important Japanese Prints
Masters of the Woodblock: Important Japanese Prints
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) | Evening Snow on Mount Asuka (Asukayama no bosetsu) | Edo period, 19th century
Lot Closed
July 21, 01:29 PM GMT
Estimate
4,000 - 5,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Evening Snow on Mount Asuka (Asukayama no bosetsu)
Edo period, 19th century
woodblock print, from the series Eight Views in the Environs of Edo (Edo kinko hakkei no uchi), signed Hiroshige ga (Pictured by Hiroshige), censor’s seal kiwame (approved), published by Sanoya Kihei (Kikakudo), circa 1837-38
Horizontal oban: 24.1 x 36.5 cm., 9½ x 14⅞ in.
Snow falls on the foot of the hillocks and trees of Asukayama to the north of Edo. Solitary passers-by, all partly veiled by broad straw hats sheltering them from the winter weather, plod through the thick snow to their respective destination.
Initially commissioned by the comic-verse (kyoka) poet, Taihaido Donsho, this rare series Eight Views in the Environs of Edo (Edo kinko hakkei no uchi) originally included his poems and was accompanied with the seal Taihaido kaihan [inaugurated by Taihaido]. Later printings, also rare, were reissued by the publisher Sanoya Kihei with some of the poems omitted or substituted with other newly composed poetry.
For a similar impression of the same print published by Sanoya Kihei in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), accession number JP2479, go to: