The Floating World
Bullfinch and Weeping Cherry
Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1834
What it is
A bullfinch hangs head-down from a spray of weeping cherry, blossoms opening around it against a graded blue.
Why it matters
Among the most beloved of Hiroshige's bird-and-flower designs: pure observation — a birdwatcher's instant, held for two centuries.
What to notice
The bird feeds upside down, claws locked on the swaying spray — Hiroshige chose the least dignified, most truthful pose a bird can hold.
"Blossom and bird hold on to the same branch."
The record
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
- Date
- c. 1834
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Art Institute of Chicago · 1928.841
Impression note. The graded blue of the sky is wiped by hand and varies from impression to impression, as do the fugitive blossom pinks; a fine printing keeps the bird's rose breast fresh. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
More Utagawa Hiroshige
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Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Nihonbashi: Morning SceneUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Shinagawa: SunriseUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.