歌川広重画 楓に孔雀|A Peacock Perched on a Maple Tree

The print’s two-dimensional quality and lack of perspective reflect traditional ukiyo-e conventions, prioritizing pattern and form over illusionistic depth.

Hiroshige employed bold, flat areas of color—blue, green, and gold—to define the peacock’s plumage, using clean outlines to enhance clarity. The background is deliberately sparse, with only faintly rendered sky and scattered leaves, allowing the bird to dominate. The print’s two-dimensional quality and lack of perspective reflect traditional ukiyo-e conventions, prioritizing pattern and form over illusionistic depth.

The print is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired as part of a broader effort to document Japanese printmaking in the 19th century. While its exact early ownership is undocumented, its preservation suggests it was valued by collectors for its refined execution and departure from Hiroshige’s typical urban themes.

During the 1830s, ukiyo-e artists increasingly turned to nature as a subject, responding to urban audiences’ longing for rural tranquility. Hiroshige’s focus on birds and trees aligned with this trend, while his use of vertical format and stylized flora echoed earlier ink-painting traditions, blending Japanese aesthetics with the commercial print medium.

This print exemplifies Hiroshige’s later experimentation beyond landscape, influencing later artists interested in natural forms within printmaking. Its restrained palette and emphasis on singular subjects contributed to a quieter, more contemplative strand of ukiyo-e, distinct from the bustling scenes of Edo life that defined the genre’s earlier years.