Fireworks by Ryōgoku Bridge
1858 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · The Cleveland Museum of Art
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
- Year
- 1858
- Medium
- Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Original size
- 33.7 × 22 cm
- Collection
- The Cleveland Museum of Art (impression 1940.986; many other impressions exist)
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Against a dark night sky, a single rocket climbs in a thin, wavering line and bursts into scattered sparks, while below the long Ryōgoku Bridge crosses a river crowded with pleasure boats. The water and bridge are printed in muted blues and greys, so the eye goes to the faint lines of light above. The print is number ninety-eight in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, published by Uoya Eikichi, with a censor's seal of the eighth month of 1858. Summer fireworks at Ryōgoku Bridge were among the great entertainments of Edo, watched from boats on the Sumida and from the banks. The near-monochrome night makes this one of the most atmospheric prints in the series; impressions vary in colour and condition.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Dark midnight blue with fine white sparks and a pale grey bridge, for a living room, study or bedroom at 24×36 in black. It pairs with Ryōgoku Bridge and the Great Riverbank, the same bridge by day.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (1858)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- living room, bedroom, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, travelers, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Fireworks by Ryōgoku Bridge in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Fireworks by Ryōgoku Bridge painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
