Artwork Page for Full Moon with Crow on Plum Branch

Details / Information for Full Moon with Crow on Plum Branch

Full Moon with Crow on Plum Branch

1880s

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋 暁斎

(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print
Measurements
Overall: 37.5 x 52.1 cm (14 3/4 x 20 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.203
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The accompanying poem may be translated as:

The plum accompanies their squawking forms;
Its fragrance assaults their feathers.
Beautiful shadows of the branches in the moonlight
Climb toward the study curtain.
The pair of crows that have lodged in my house
Cry and make to fly a way,
Under the bright moon in the depths of the night.
A horizontally oriented woodblock print on tan paper depicts a solid black crow with a visible white eye perched on a gnarled plum branch. Facing left, the bird is set against a large, faint gray circle. Three columns of vertical calligraphy and red stamps occupy the left side, while additional text and seals appear on the right. The composition is rendered with bold, expressive ink strokes and gray washes.

Full Moon with Crow on Plum Branch

1880s

Kawanabe Kyōsai

(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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