Page 137 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

126
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1868)
Kameido ume yashiki (Plum estate, Kameido)
Woodblock print, from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One
hundred views of Edo), signed Hiroshige ga, published by Uoya
Eikichi, 11th month, 1857
Vertical oban: 14º x 9¡ in. (36.2 x 23.8 cm.)
$10,000-20,000

Umeyashiki is the name of a plum garden on the bank of the
Sumida River that drew large numbers of visitors to enjoy
the view and scent of the blossoming trees in early spring.
Hiroshige's striking design places the trunk and branches of a
plum tree boldly in the foreground. The shape of this particular
tree led to it becoming known as Resting Dragon Plum
(Garyubai), because its branches grew so long they re-entered the
earth. The viewer is obliged to look through the branches of the
tree and of those behind to see a group of visitors to the garden
admiring the blossoms from behind a fence. The unusual and
dramatic vantage point and bold use of color are characteristics
that inspired 19th-century artists such as Vincent van Gogh,
Claude Monet and James McNeill Whistler and in many cases
dramatically influenced their work. Another impression of this
particular print was acquired by van Gogh and inspired him to
such an extent that, along with A Sudden Shower over Ohashi
and Atake by Hiroshige, he produced his own version in oil,
Flowering Plum Orchard (after Hiroshige), 1887, now in the Van
Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

127
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Oji shozoku enoki omisoka no kitsunebi (New Year's Eve
foxfires at nettle tree, Oji)
Woodblock print, from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One
hundred views of Edo), signed Hiroshige ga, published by Uoya
Eikichi, 9th month, 1857
Vertical oban: 14º x 9Ω in. (36.2 x 24.1 cm.)
$7,000-9,000

In the evening of New Year's Eve, foxes with flame-like
phosphorescence gather under a hackberry tree in a gathering
called Shozoku enoki near Oji Inari (Fox) Shrine in Edo. After
purifying themselves under this tree, foxes visit Oji Inari Shrine
to receive the divine message for the New Year’s Day. This is the
sole work depicting a fantastical subject from this series. In this
print, Hiroshige intentionally outlined the foxes on the ground
sharply and precisely while other elements are treated indistinctly
in the dark of night which emphasizes the fantastical atmosphere
of this work.