Advanced Search 
うぐいすに餌をやる娘
The most prized of all Japanese songbirds was the bush warbler, uguisu, sometimes called “nightingale” in English. The warbler’s song marked the beginning of spring, but when kept in captivity it had to be fed specially prepared mashed food. This charming print has the signature of Kiyonaga but is not in his usual style. It may be a very early work, or the signature may be a false one added later.
Young Woman and Girl Feeding Caged Warbler
うぐいすに餌をやる娘
Artist unknown, Japanese
Signed: Torii Kiyonaga (Japanese, 1752–1815)
Possibly by: Torii Kiyotsune (Japanese, active 1757–1779)
Signed: Torii Kiyonaga (Japanese, 1752–1815)
Possibly by: Torii Kiyotsune (Japanese, active 1757–1779)
Japanese
Edo period
1770s
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Vertical chûban; 25.7 x 18.8 cm (10 1/8 x 7 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Denman Waldo Ross Collection
Accession Number06.653
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
The most prized of all Japanese songbirds was the bush warbler, uguisu, sometimes called “nightingale” in English. The warbler’s song marked the beginning of spring, but when kept in captivity it had to be fed specially prepared mashed food. This charming print has the signature of Kiyonaga but is not in his usual style. It may be a very early work, or the signature may be a false one added later.
Catalogue Raisonné
Hirano, Kiyonaga (1939), #F1
DescriptionHirano suggests Kiyotsune as the artist.
Signed
False (?) signature: Kiyonaga ga
清長画
清長画
ProvenanceMarch 8, 1906, gift of Denman Waldo Ross