Descending Geese at Katata (Katata no rakugan), from the series Eight Views of Omi Province (Ōmi hakkei) 「堅田落雁」　『近江八景』

Object Details

• Artist

  Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858)

• Publisher

  Eikyudo

• Description

  The wide expanse of Lake Biwa is in the foreground. The boats of fishermen lead toward a village on the shore. More sailing boats and ranges of trees are visible in the distance, where imposing mountains rise. A flock of geese descend from the dark, cloudy sky, seeking the distant shore.

• Signatures

  Signature: "Hiroshige ga"

• Marks

  Seals: circular, intaglio "Eikyudo" (publisher); circular, relief "kiwame" (censor).

• Inscriptions

  Series title: Omi Hakkei (no uchi) (Eight Views of Omi Province)

  Series title: Omi Hakkei (no uchi) (Eight Views of Omi Province)

• Label

  Early in his career, Hiroshige designed a fine series of eight landscape prints depicting "Eight Views of Omi" (now in the Shiga Prefecture), the scenic area around Lake Biwa. The subject is a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese theme of "Eight Views of the Hsiao and Hsiang [Rivers]" (J: Shosho hakkei; C: Xiao Xiang bajing). The theme of "Eight Views of Omi" has a strong literary basis, and is likely to have been formulated first in a series of poems before it became a subject of paintings. A poem is beautifully written in the upper left-hand corner of this print. As translated by Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948), a former owner of the print, the verse may be rendered: "Lured from their flight over many peaks toward far-off Koshiji, the wild geese are alighting at nearby Katata." The composition takes full advantage of the illusion of depth achieved by the diagonal movement of the boats and the converging descent of the geese. Color printing is expertly controlled, especially in the clouds and the ghostly forms of trees along the distant shore.

• Provenance

  Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) [1]

  To 1980

  Private collection, to 1980 [2]

  1980

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by a private collector in 1980

  Notes:

  [1] According to the donor, this print was once in the collection of Louis V. Ledoux.

  A detailed comparison between this print and the same print illustrated in the catalogue of the Ledoux collection substantiate this provenance; see Louis V. Ledoux, Japanese Prints in the Collection of Louis V. Ledoux vol. V: Hokusai and Hiroshige (Princeton University Press, 1951) no. 27 (see also, Curatorial Note 2, A. Yonemura, 1981, in object record).

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  An American in London: Whistler and the Thames (May 3 to August 17, 2014)

  The Floating World: Ukiyo-e Paintings and Prints (December 8, 2002 to May 26, 2003)

  Whistler & Japan (May 14, 1995 to January 1, 1996)

  Famous Places of Japan (October 17, 1985 to February 13, 1986)

  Japanese Prints (December 21, 1981 to March 31, 1982)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948)

  Anonymous

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Anonymous gift

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Name

  Ledoux, Louis V., Kruglak, Gregory T.

• Place

  Omi Province (Japan), Japan

• Topic

  Art, Snow, Goose, Oban, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Ukiyo-e, Poetry, Fishing

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints