Hiroshige Ando "Four Seasons Flower Collection: Morning Glories" Woodblock Print Uchiwa-e (Fan Print) Frame Approx. 40x55cm, Ukiyo-e 23x29cm

Title: Ukiyo-e of Morning Glories from the Series 'Four Seasons of Flowers'
Artist: Hiroshige Ando
Technique: Reproduced Woodblock Print by Adachi Woodblock Print Institute

Framed with acrylic.
There are stains on the mat. Please refer to the last photo.
Dimensions
Frame: Height 40.2 cm x Width 55.3 cm x Depth 2.5 cm
Full print sheet: Height 25 cm x Width 31 cm
Image: Height 22.5 cm x Width 29 cm


This design is called Uchiwa-e (fan print), which was made for people at the time to paste onto their own fans. It is understood with surprise when referred to in English as fan-type. While many fan prints by Hiroshige remain, designs featuring flowers and birds are few, and this particular piece, with its bold, front-facing depiction of morning glories, is precious and evokes a distinctly Japanese sense of season.


[First Utagawa Hiroshige] 1797-1858
A ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period. His surname was Ando, his childhood name Tokutaro, and later Shigeemon. His art name was Ichiryusai. Born the son of a firefighter official in Hatchobori, Edo, he lost his parents at the age of 13 and inherited his family's profession. He was naturally skilled at drawing, but in 1811 (Bunka 8), he became a disciple of Utagawa Toyohiro, and the following year he began using the name Utagawa Hiroshige, making his debut in the art world around 1818 (Bunsei 1). He enthusiastically tackled bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) and yakusha-e (pictures of kabuki actors), incorporating the style of Eisen. Furthermore, in 1823, he changed his name to Tetsuzo, passed on his family headship to his legitimate son, and solidified his resolve to become a painter, also beginning to work on ehon (picture books) and landscape paintings.