Utagawa Hiroshige, Mandarin Ducks and Flowering Plants
Kelvin Smith, 1985.314 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Utagawa Hiroshige

Mandarin Ducks and Flowering Plants

early or mid-1830s

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
38.2 × 17.1 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-197161

In Asian painting, ducks are usually shown in pairs because a male and female mate for life. They symbolize fidelity and tranquility. The presence of another duck is suggested here by the gesture of the bird's head. Notice the variety of brushstrokes and ink tones used to depict the duck's plumage. The bird and flower genre is a popular theme in the paintings and prints of the Kelvin Smith Collection. Kachoga, or bird and flower pictures, became popular among collectors in Japan during the 19th century, due in large part to Hiroshige. Although better known for his landscape prints, Hiroshige …

Provenance

Kelvin Smith, 1985.314

Registry history

  • early or mid-1830s — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — prints

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