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Cherry-blossom Viewing at Asuka Hill (Asukayama)


飛鳥山の花見
Torii Kiyonaga (Japanese, 1752–1815)
Japanese
Edo period
about 1787 (Tenmei 7)

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions Vertical ôban; 37.9 x 25.8 cm (14 15/16 x 10 3/16 in.)
Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.13952
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsPrints
Kiyonaga, noted for his depictions of slim, elegant beauties, gives a close-up view of a picnic party at Asuka Hill, a favorite spot for cherry-blossom viewing. Loosened clothing and relaxed poses suggest that the two young women—especially the one in front—have over-indulged in the contents of the sake gourd carried by the second woman. The two are accompanied by a boy servant who carries their parasol and other baggage.

Catalogue Raisonné Chiba Museum, Torii Kiyonaga (2007), list #37, pl. 128 (complete); Ukiyo-e shûka 2 (1985), list #47; Hirano, Kiyonaga (1939), #850, pl. LXXIV
DescriptionRight sheet of incomplete triptych.
Signed Kiyonaga ga
清長画
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.