The Floating World
Sparrows and Camellia in Snow
Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1830s
What it is
Sparrows tumble around a camellia branch bowed under fresh snow — red blossoms, white weight, the birds the only urgency in the cold.
Why it matters
Hiroshige's bird-and-flower prints were his lyric sideline, made in the same years as his great landscapes — and snow was his signature weather.
What to notice
The snow is mostly bare paper — the printer's restraint does the work of cold; the camellia's red is the sheet's one warmth.
"Snow bends the branch. The blossom keeps its color."
The record
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
- Date
- c. 1830s
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Art Institute of Chicago · 1932.208
Impression note. Impressions differ in the grey of the snow sky and the saturation of the camellia red, which fades before the other colors; a fine impression keeps the birds' fine feather lines whole. 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
Utagawa HiroshigeBullfinch and Weeping CherryUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1834
Utagawa HiroshigeKingfisher and IrisesUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1830s
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.