Nishiki-e. Colour woodblock print, signed on the plate: Hiroshige ga
Series: Meisho Edo Hyakkei The Hundred Views of Edo n. 4
Date: 1857, second month
Format: oban tate-e (mm. 361x231)
Censor: aratame, Snake 2
Publisher: Uoya Eikichi.
Splendid proof with excellent colours, with the mokumezuri wood grain effect clearly visible, characteristic of the first proofs, and the mica powder ( kira-e ). The mica background ( kira-e ) gives the print a particular luminosity that highlights every detail: it was obtained by grinding the mineral, sprinkling it and fixing it on the sheet. Superbly executed " bokashi " shading.
Printed on Japanese paper, datable to the second half of the 19th century. In perfect condition. With excellent margins all around beyond the marginal line.
Bibliography: Sakai, Hiroshige Edo fûkei (1996), list #12.19, pls. 156, 157; Smith & Poster, 100 Views (1986), #4; Ukiyo-e shûka 14 (1981), Hiroshige list, p. 250, vertical ôban #62.17
Museum of Fine Art Boston: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/207480
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/121619
This night view looks from the mouth of the Sumida River toward Edo Bay.
The exceptional inking of this print is noteworthy. A deep pool of Prussian blue at the bottom suggests the shadow of the bridge, which gives way, through the hue of the bokashi, to the azure of the moonlit sea.
The masts of the moored ships shine with mica, suggesting the reflection of moonlight.
In the black field of the sky, the grain of the wooden block can be seen, on which the moon and stars stand out.