Papegaai in een pruimenboom
ca. 1805 - ca. 1810
Medium
nishikie
Dimensions
203; 176
About this artwork
verzamelaarsmerk, passe-partout, links onder, gedrukt: JABdH met een haan.
Art Historical Context
Kitao Shigemasa’s “Papegaai in een pruimenboom” (Parrot in a Plum Tree) is a charming example of late Edo-period Japanese woodblock printing. Created around 1805–1810, the small nishikie print measures just 203 by 176 mm yet captures a lively scene of an exotic parrot perched among delicate plum blossoms. Shigemasa, a respected master of the ukiyo-e tradition and founder of the Kitao school, brought a refined sense of observation and color to his bird-and-flower subjects. Nishikie, or “brocade pictures,” represented the pinnacle of Japanese printmaking technology at the time, employing multip...
About the Artist
Kitao Shigemasa · 1739–1820
Kitao Shigemasa (1739–1820), born in the bustling Nihonbashi district of Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing during Japan's Edo period. The eldest son of the bookseller Suharaya Mohei—from a lineage of publishers—Shigemasa, originally named Kitabatake Tarōkichi, was immersed in the world of printing from youth. Largely self-taught, he later studied under t...