Hiroshige's Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji - In Japan, Mt. Fuji is a sacred place and a symbol of the country itself. Rising majestically near the center of Japan, Fuji dominates the landscape and the Japanese national identity. Hiroshige completed designs for his last series, "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," in 1858. Following a tradition established by Hokusai, Hiroshige’s wonderful series show the mountain in each of the four seasons, from a variety of vantage points. Hiroshige utilized a vertical full oban format to create dramatic and breathtaking views of this most revered landmark. Views range from the urban city center of Edo to cherry blossom viewing in a small village and the fantastic crashing wave at Awa. Seen less frequently than some of his more well-known series, "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji" ranks as one of Hiroshige's best vertical format series.

The Sagami River, 1858 - Handsome view of the Sagami River with two boatmen poling their rafts through the water among the reeds. The figure in the foreground wears a tie-dyed kimono and a straw hat, and smoke rises from a firebox under a shelter on his raft. The snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji rises majestically in the distance as two herons fly past and a third lands among the grasses in the foreground. Nicely detailed with soft shading in the water and sky. The print comes with a label stating that it was purchased from the collection of George C. Calvert, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1939 (see below). While we couldn't find out much about Calvert, he donated several works of art to the Indianapolis Art Museum and also loaned them paintings for exhibit. An interesting provenance.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 13 1/8" x 8 5/8"

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. A couple small tears at edges, small thinning spot, repaired. Toning, slight creasing and soiling, light staining at edges, rubbed spot. Two tape remnants on reverse from previous mounting. Please see photos for details.