Sugawara Katsunaga (Shōei)
Carp, ca 1850
Hanging scroll; ink and mineral colors on silk, in silk mounts
Image Size 40½ x 16¼ in. (103.3 x 41.5 cm)
Overall Size 74½ x 21 in. (189 x 53.3 cm)
Overall Size 74½ x 21 in. (189 x 53.3 cm)
T-3124
Further images
Sealed at lower right: Sugawara Katsunaga. Comes with a fitted paulownia-wood storage box labeled Katsunaga hitsu rigyo no zu (Picture of carp brushed by Katsunaga) This accomplished composition reflects the...
Sealed at lower right: Sugawara Katsunaga. Comes with a fitted paulownia-wood storage box labeled Katsunaga hitsu rigyo no zu (Picture of carp brushed by Katsunaga)
This accomplished composition reflects the influence of a well-known woodblock print from an untitled series by Utagawa Hiroshige popularly known as the “Large Fish” that was published in circa 1840–1842 (for an example in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, visit collections.mfa.org/objects/237234).
Deploying delicate washes typical of later masters of the Shijō school and taking full advantage of the vertical hanging-scroll format, the artist has built on Hiroshige’s famous image, brilliantly conveying the appearance of the two fishes’ heads as they break the surface of the pond.
This accomplished composition reflects the influence of a well-known woodblock print from an untitled series by Utagawa Hiroshige popularly known as the “Large Fish” that was published in circa 1840–1842 (for an example in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, visit collections.mfa.org/objects/237234).
Deploying delicate washes typical of later masters of the Shijō school and taking full advantage of the vertical hanging-scroll format, the artist has built on Hiroshige’s famous image, brilliantly conveying the appearance of the two fishes’ heads as they break the surface of the pond.