Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (1797-1858) Woodblock Tsukudajima from Eitai Bridge. No. 4 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 2nd month of 1857. In 1856, Hiroshige began designing what was to be his last great series and a true masterpiece, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. The series contains 118 woodblocks, in full oban vertical format, of classic Hiroshige landscapes. From spring cherry blossoms to summer fireworks, from quiet scenes along the river to lively festival celebrations, Hiroshige captures a slice of life in old Edo in dramatic and interesting ways. The prints were published between 1856 and 1858, with the last few designs released shortly after Hiroshige's death. Hiroshige employed an inventive compositional technique in many of the prints, using large foreground elements to frame a distant view in the background, such as the image of Kinryuzan Temple seen through the doorway of the famous Thunder Gate, a giant paper lantern hanging overhead. The series also includes brighter, richer color than his preceding works, but these are still balanced by more subtle, muted tones. Beautifully printed, the works demonstrate a range of specialized techniques, including soft bokashi shading and delicate embossing in many of the images, and even touches of mica. The series was very popular with the public and new releases were eagerly anticipated. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo retains its popularity today as one of Hiroshige's great masterworks, including some of his most memorable images. The woodblock has had the margins closely trimmed and has a small water stain to one side. Framed and matted 15"x19"x2" in frame. Weight 4 pds

margins closely trimmed and has a small water stain to one side