Page 181 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE II (1826–1869) This winter scene of the Bridge of the Brocade Sash, is considered the
Kintai Bridge at Iwakuni in Suo Province masterpiece of the set. The solitary figures of the boatman at the top
right, poling his raft of timber, and the people on the bridge with
Woodblock print, from the series Shokoku meisho hyakkei (One its massive stone pilings, are reminiscent of the prints of Hiroshige
Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces), signed Hiroshige
I, but have a poetic sense of man’s isolation in the forces of nature
ga, published by Uoya Eikichi, 1859
that is Hiroshige II’s own. For its full effect, the earliest printings-
Vertical oban: 13æ x 9Ω in. (35 x 24 cm.)
such as the example here-should be examined. An effective use of
$12,000-18,000 the wood grain is made, as are touches of mica behind the row
of houses in the foreground. A scratch carving technique derived
from lacquer decoration renders the details of snow-covered willow
trees in foreground and pine trees in distance. The diagonal-striped
pattern of two reds as the background of the publisher’s cartouche is
only found in this edition.