Artwork Page for Basket of Peonies

Details / Information for Basket of Peonies

Basket of Peonies

1810 or 1814

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎

(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print; surimono
Measurements
Sheet: 52.1 x 38.3 cm (20 1/2 x 15 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Ralph King 1943.5
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

A surimono is a privately commissioned print used to announce or commemorate a special event. This picture celebrates an event in the life of the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII, whose emblem was the peony. According to Japanese tradition, the peony–one of the flowers of the four seasons–is the flower of summer.
A horizontal color print on cream paper depicts a woven basket in the lower right, overflowing with frilled peonies. A large white blossom and a vibrant coral-red flower sit among dark green leaves, the basket patterned with reddish-brown diamonds. To the left, vertical columns of black calligraphy incorporate a small sickle and circle. These elements balance the lush floral arrangement, while the upper left background remains largely open.

Basket of Peonies

1810 or 1814

Katsushika Hokusai

(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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