Sparrowhawk and Macaw (Konori taka, inko)
c. 1718
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, tan-e
Dimensions
28.3 × 15.3 cm (11 1/8 × 6 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19795
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyomasu I's *Sparrowhawk and Mac (Konori taka,ko)*, created around 1718, captures a striking juxtaposition of a fierce native Japanese sparrowhawk and an exotic macaw parrot in delicate harmony. As a master of the Torii school—one of the pioneering lineages in ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world"—iyomasu specialized in vibrant prints reflecting Edo-period Japan's urban culture. This intimate scene highlights the era's fascination with nature's beauty and rarity, blending the predatory grace of local wildlife with the allure of foreign imports, likely inspired by trade routes br...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu I
Torii Kiyomasu I was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist working in the early eighteenth century, closely associated with the Torii school, one of the most important lineages in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. The Torii school was founded by Torii Kiyonobu, and Kiyomasu I is believed to have been either his son or a close pupil — the precise family relationship remains a matter of scholarly d...