100 Views of Edo # 91 Deluxe 1st Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Inside Akiba Shrine, Ukeji (Ukeji Akiba no keidai), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: August 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 35.9 x 24.6 cm (14 1/8 x 9 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: August 1857, 1st edition.

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margin in the upper and lower section of the print (And partially restored margins). Margins partially trimmed on the right and left side affecting the seal. Exceptional colors and impression.

Notes: Very rare 1st edition with 3 colors in the title cartouche. Deluxe edition with Mica in the river bank area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master.

More about this print: In this view of Akiba Shrine in the village of Ukeji, Hiroshige again uniquely handles a Western visual effect: the reflection of trees in water. The artist has carefully muted the colors of the trees as they appear in reflection so that the green of the pines is lightened and the red of the maples is softened to a light pink.

Perhaps by coincidence, the bright red of the maple leaves is appropriate to the nature of the deity worshiped at this site: the god of Akiba Shrine, who protects against fire. The red pigment used for the maples here is different from the red lead or iron oxide that has blackened in numbers 88 and 94, so this is the only print in the series in which the original glory of the autumn colors can still be fully enjoyed.

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.