Flower Pavilion, Dango Slope, Sendagi, No. 16 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Utagawa Hiroshige
Asian Art
A bank of decorative clouds separates this print into two seemingly different worlds—a lofty, mountain like retreat and a familiar scene of cherry viewing along a pond or river. The identification of the upper scene is clear enough from the title: it is the Flower Pavilion, a former nurseryman's garden opened to the public for seasonal flower viewing and described on an 1852 map as a "pavilion for all four seasons."
Why did Hiroshige divide the scene? Perhaps he intended to show autumn above and spring below, emphasizing that the garden was indeed "for all four seasons."
MEDIUM
Woodblock print
DATES
5th month of 1856
PERIOD
Edo Period, Ansei Era
DIMENSIONS
Image: 13 1/2 x 8 7/8 in. (34.3 x 22.5 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
No publisher's censor or date seals visible, probably lost when left edge was trimmed.
SIGNATURE
Hiroshige-ga
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
30.1478.16
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Anna Ferris
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1930, provenance not yet documented; by 1930, acquired by Anna Ferris of Summit, NJ; 1930, gift of Anna Ferris to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Cherry viewing in the "Flower Pavilion," identified as the Shinsentei (Purple Fountain pavilion), described on an 1852 Kiriezu map as a "shiki hanayashiki" or "flower pavilion for all four seasons." The scene above is one a deep, rich greens, with three small figures climbing through a craggy garden up to a bright pavilion, while below visitors of all classes stroll among the cherries and rest on teahouse benches. It is noted that the Flower Pavilion building was a rarity for its three storey height and popularly known as the "Outlook" (Miharashi) for the spectacular view which it offered of Ueno and Shinobazu Pond to the southwest. Little figures can be seen peering out from the windows of the lofty pavilion. It is possible that Hiroshige intended to show two different seasons here, perhaps autumn above and spring below, emphasizing that it was indeed a "flower pavilion for all four seasons." According to Ishii Kendo's commentary of 1919, the Shisentei was founded by a gardener named Kusuda Uheiji and covered an area of two and a half acres. By the time Ishii was writing in 1919, however, the original garden had been closed to public viewing and the land sold off into lots for private homes.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858). Flower Pavilion, Dango Slope, Sendagi, No. 16 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 5th month of 1856. Woodblock print, Image: 13 1/2 x 8 7/8 in. (34.3 x 22.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.16 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.16_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 30.1478.16_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
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