Pocket watch
c. 1823
Medium
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Dimensions
20.8 × 18.8 cm (8 1/4 × 7 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
88628
Art Historical Context
In the early 19th century, Utagawa Hiroshige, a master of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, created this charming *Pocket Watch* around 1823, during the final decades of Japan's Edo period. At just 20.8 × 18.8 cm, this intimate shikishiban-format print captures a rare glimpse of Western influence trickling into isolated Japan via Dutch traders. Pocket watches, exotic novelties symbolizing global curiosity, appear here as a focal point, blending Japanese artistry with foreign allure in Hiroshige's signature detailed, evocative style. Printed as a luxurious *surimono*—a privately commissioned print o...
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...