A Peacock Perched on a Maple Tree
Occasionally, Hiroshige incorporated lines from Chinese poems, rather than Japanese ones, into his bird-and-flower compositions. Here, the verse by the Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772–846) is among those included in the early eleventh-century anthology Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing (Wakan rōeishū):
不堪紅葉青苔地 又是涼風暮雨天
Taezu kōyō seitai no chi mata kore ryōfū bou no ten
How moving:
Earth covered with green moss
scattered with crimson leaves.
And then even more so:
Skies filled with evening rain
as a cool wind blows.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
不堪紅葉青苔地 又是涼風暮雨天
Taezu kōyō seitai no chi mata kore ryōfū bou no ten
How moving:
Earth covered with green moss
scattered with crimson leaves.
And then even more so:
Skies filled with evening rain
as a cool wind blows.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
Artwork Details
- 歌川広重画 楓に孔雀
- Title: A Peacock Perched on a Maple Tree
- Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1833
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print
- Dimensions: 14 13/16 x 5 in. (37.6 x 12.7 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
- Object Number: JP269
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
1817–58
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
ca. 1834
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
ca. 1834
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
ca. 1835
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
ca. 1832
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.