Flowering Plum Tree

ca. 1843–47

Not on view

Branches of budding red and white plum blossoms sprouting from an aged, gnarled trunk remind us that appearances can be deceptive, and that old can give birth to new. The seventeen-syllable haikai—inscribed in cursive columns of calligraphy that echo the shapes of the branches—reads:

長閑さに　やはらかになる　力こぶ
有松

Nodokasa ni
yawaraka ni naru
chikara kobu

Though so gently
and with supple ease—
they flex their muscles.
—Arimatsu
(Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Other impressions of this print have blue background with a moon in reserve behind the branches on the right.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

広重画　梅
Title: Flowering Plum Tree
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: ca. 1843–47
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 13 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. (34.6 x 11.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Object Number: JP2527
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Small View of Yedo, Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, Print, Japanese — Small View of Yedo
Utagawa Hiroshige
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Hiratsuka, Nawate Do, Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Hiratsuka, Nawate Do
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ca. 1834

Yokkaichi, Sanchokawa, Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Yokkaichi, Sanchokawa
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Snow on the Sumida River, Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Snow on the Sumida River
Utagawa Hiroshige
ca. 1835

Reflections of the Moon in the Rice Fields of Sarashina in Shinshu, Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Reflections of the Moon in the Rice Fields of Sarashina in Shinshu
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ca. 1832

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