100 Views of Edo # 16 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Flower Pavilion, Dango Slope, Sendagi (Sendagi Dangozaka Hanayashiki), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: May 1856

Size: Vertical ôban; 35 x 24 cm (14 x 9 in.)

Date of this edition: May 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margins, else very fine. Excellent colors and impression, fair to good overall.

More about this print: 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."

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.