UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS, SOLD TO SUPPORT ART ACQUISITIONS AND COLLECTIONS CARE
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)

Kisoji no yamakawa (Mountain river on the Kiso Road)

Details
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Kisoji no yamakawa (Mountain river on the Kiso Road)
Woodblock print, triptych, signed Hiroshige hitsu on the right sheet, published by Okazawaya Taheiji, 8th month 1857
Vertical oban triptych: 14 1/8 x 9 ½ in. (36 x 24.1 cm.) each approx.
(3)
Provenance
Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954), Springfield, Massachusetts
Exhibited
“Ukiyo-e from The Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA”, exh. cat. p. 60-61, no. 98, exhibited at the following venues:
Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo, 4 June-3 July, 1994
Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, 16 July-21 August, 1994
Yokkaichi Municipal Museum, Mie Prefecture, 1 September-4 October, 1994

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Takaaki Murakami (村上高明)
Takaaki Murakami (村上高明) Vice President, Specialist and Head of Department | Korean Art

Lot Essay

A sweeping panoramic view of the Kiso River blanketed in thick winter snow. The sparse palette of paper white, deep blue, and a soft ink tone, serve to accentuate the immensity of the snowfall in this dramatic landscape. The narrow gorge by the Kiso River is one of the most strenuous stretches of the Kisokaido Road. Hiroshige conveys the sheer scale of the rough vertiginous path through the clusters of towering mountains, with the most central peak extending beyond the frame of the composition. This print is generally believed to represent the ‘snow’ installment of the artist’s last series concerning snow, moon and flowers (setsugekka), three acknowledged forms of natural beauty. The other two in the series are Moon at Kanazawa, and Whirlpools at Awa.

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