Kingfisher and viburnum
1840s
Medium
Color woodblock print; chutanzaku
Dimensions
34.7 × 11.5 cm (13 5/8 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
87075
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), one of Japan's most celebrated ukiyo-e masters, captures the serene beauty of nature in *Kingfisher and Viburnum* (1840s). This exquisite color woodblock print depicts a vibrant kingfisher perched amid blooming viburnum branches, rendered in the artist's signature delicate style. The narrow *chutanzaku* format—measuring just 34.7 × 11.5 cm—makes it ideal for display in alcoves or as a hanging scroll substitute, evoking the fleeting elegance of everyday wonders. Created during the Edo period, when ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") flourished, the print s...
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...