Nihonbashi: Clearing after Snow
1856 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Library of Congress, Washington, DC
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
- Year
- 1856
- Medium
- Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Original size
- 36.3 × 24.1 cm
- Collection
- Library of Congress, Washington, DC (impression LC-DIG-jpd-02946; many other impressions exist)
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Seen from high above, the arched wooden Nihonbashi bridge crosses a deep blue river crowded with cargo boats, every roof along the banks still white with fresh snow. Beyond the warehouses the city fades into pink mist, with the castle grounds on the right and a snow-covered Fuji rising at the upper left. This is the opening print of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, issued by the publisher Uoya Eikichi, and the censor's seal dates the design to the fifth month of 1856. Nihonbashi was the starting point of the great highways out of Edo, and the busy riverfront at the lower right was the city's fish market. The sky is printed with graded bokashi bands of blue and red, a device Hiroshige uses throughout 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
Snow-white rooftops, deep river blue and a soft pink sky, for a living room, entrance hall or study at 24×36 in black. It pairs naturally with Bikuni Bridge in Snow as a pair of winter views of the city.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (1856)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- living room, 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 Nihonbashi: Clearing after Snow in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Nihonbashi: Clearing after Snow 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.
