Hiroshige: Snowfall at Shimasaku, Iki Province, Shisa (SOLD)

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Title: Snowfall at Shimasaku, Iki Province, Shisa
Series: “60-odd Famous Views of the Provinces” (Rokujûyoshû meisho zue)
Date: 1856

Poetic and pristine, this view is from a bird’s perspective  on a snowy evening, looking out over Imari Bay with Iki Island seen in the distance. and nary a soul is in sight. We somehow can relate to the almost person-like tree at the very top of the slope in the foreground. The dark sky above blends right into the blue sea below. Our only glimpse of humanity is of the tucked in rooftops of Shima. One of the top designs in the series. According to scholars, this design is based on a Hokusai illustration which is in turn based on a print by Shiba Kokan from 1794. Hiroshige has made it inimitably his. The complete set includes one image from each of the 68 provinces, plus two for Edo and a contents page, for a total of 70 prints in all. 

Condition: Excellent impression and condition. Very good color.
Dimensions: ôban (36.6 x 24.8 cm)
Publisher: Koshimuraya Heisuke
Literature: See Jansen (Hotei), 2004, number 68. Compare with the example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; this one has large margins and is a tad nicer. 
Signature: Hiroshige ga

SKU: HIR527