Sparrows and Bmboo in Snow

Details

UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Sparrows and Bmboo in Snow
Woodblock print, signed Hiroshige hitsu, circa 1830s-42
Vertical aitanzaku: 13 ¼ x 4 3⁄8 in. (33.7 x 11.1 cm.)

Provenance

Israel Goldman Japanese Prints, London
Acquired from the above, 2010

Literature

Hiroshige Nature and the City: Prints from the Alan Medaugh Collection (Ludion, 2023). Plate no. 304B.
Alfred Haft, Hiroshige: artist of the open road (UK: The British Museum Press, 2025), Exh. cat., Plate 80.

Exhibited

'Hiroshige: artist of the open road', The British Museum, London, 1 May-7 September 2025

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Takaaki Murakami (村上高明) Vice President, Specialist and Head of Department | Japanese and Korean Art

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Lot Essay

Bamboo in snow is an enduring symbol of resilience and integrity in East Asian culture: deeply rooted, it bends under the weight of wind and snow, yet rises upright again. Here, Hiroshige quotes a couplet by the Tang-dynasty Chinese poet Sun Xian, praising the noble character traditionally embodied by bamboo:
貞姿曾冒雪
高節欲凌雲
Their pure shapes were once covered by snow,
Their lofty principles aiming to reach above the clouds.
(Translation by Henri Kerlen)

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