The Moon Pine at Ueno
1857 · Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper · Impressions in many collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, New York
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About this work
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
- Year
- 1857
- Medium
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
- Original size
- approx. 37 × 25 cm (ōban)
- Collection
- Impressions in many collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, New York
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
A branch of the famous Moon Pine at Kan'eiji temple in Ueno curls into a near-perfect circle in the foreground, and through that ring the viewer sees Shinobazu Pond, its Benten shrine on an island and the houses of the far shore. Hiroshige issued the design in the eighth month of 1857 as plate 89 of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. The device of looking through a natural frame at a distant view is typical of the series, which repeatedly sets a large near object against a small far one. The original tree was destroyed in a storm in the Meiji era and replanted in 2012. Impressions of the print are held by many museums, including the Brooklyn Museum.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
The pine's circular branch is a framed view in itself, so it holds a small wall alone: an entry, landing or above a side table at 16×24. Dark wood on white or soft green; hang it with Plum Garden at Kameido for a matched pair.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (1857)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue, cream & beige
- Mood
- calm
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, living room, dining room, dorm room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, travelers, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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 The Moon Pine at Ueno in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Moon Pine at Ueno painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
