Arashiyama in Snow

Maker(s)
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige ζ­Œε·εΊƒι‡ (1797-1858)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, 19th century
School
Ukiyo-e
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 34.7 Γ— 38.5 cm (13 11/16 Γ— 15 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1903.291
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, kakemono, landscape, snow, ukiyo-e, winter
Provenance

To 1903
Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1903 [1]

From 1903 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in Japan in 1903 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] Undated folder sheet note, Object file.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Bunkio Matsuki (C.L. Freer source) 1867-1940

Label

Appreciated for its seasonal beauty, the steep, wooded slope of Arashiyama at the Oi River has long been a favorite scenic place in Kyoto. The beauty of blossoming cherry trees in spring and red maples in autumn were appreciated by Kyoto residents who made excursions to Arashiyama in fine weather. Here the artist Hiroshige has represented the mountain in winter. The subtlety of his painting is enhanced by his use of an East Asian painting technique that leaves the light-colored silk unpainted to represent white snow. Hiroshige is best known for his landscape prints of famous places in Edo and along the Tokaido, the great road between Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyoto.

Published References
  • Harold P. Stern. Ukiyo-e Painting: Freer Gallery of Art Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition. Exh. cat. Washington and Baltimore, 1973. cat. 117, pp. 302-303.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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