Hiroshige II: The Hasedera temple
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Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1869)

The temple grounds of the famous Hasedera temple in Nara prefecture at cherry blossom time, seen from a bird’s eye view through the clouds.

Title: Yamato Hasedera (Hase Temple in Yamato Province)

Series: Shokoku meisho hyakkei (One Hundred Views of Famous Places in the Provinces)

Signature: Hiroshige ga

Publisher: Sakanaya Eikichi (Uoei), Edo

Date: 8/1859

Size: Vertical Oban, 33,2 x 22 cm (image size)

Excellent impression and colours. Left margin minimally trimmed. Some creases, lower margin faintly rubbed, one small printer smudge. Overall very good condition.

Cf. British Museum, 1915,0823,0.328.4; Tokyo Digital Museum 90203600; Chazen Museum of Art, Van Vleck Coll. 1980.2239; Library of Congress, LC-DIG-jpd-01361 a.o., with various colour gradation (bokashi) variants in the clouds.
In this luminous, very attractive view the artist combines landscape, buildings and clouds into an almost abstract composition.

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