Quails and Poppies

Hiroshige depicts a quail nestled among flowering poppies in this narrow tanzaku-format composition. The quail, traditionally associated with autumn in Japanese painting, is here paired with the poppy, a flower of summer, creating a poetic interplay of seasonal references. The bird’s richly patterned plumage is set against the broad, simplified blossoms and slender stems, demonstrating Hiroshige’s characteristic ability to combine close observation of nature with elegant, highly controlled design.
The poem by Ikoma Manshi (1654-1719) has been read and translated by John T. Carpenter as:
Aki no yume
Mite ya nakidasu
Mugiuzura
In an autumn dream
The barley quails
Begin to chip