歌川広重画 芥子に瑠璃鳥|A Bluebird and Poppies
1832–34
Medium
Woodblock print
Dimensions
13 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. (33.7 x 10.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2532
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Utagawa Hiroige captures fleeting beauty in *A Bluebird and Pop* (1832–34), a delicate woodblock print measuring just 13¼ x 4¼ inches. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, here turns his poetic eye to the *kachō-e* genre—birds and flowers—showcasing a luminous bluebird perched amid blooming poppies. These intimate scenes reflect Japan's deep reverence for nature's ephemerality, evoking seasonal harmony during a time of urban prosperity and artistic innovation. Crafted through the collaborative wo...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...