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「風流五節句遊」 雛祭り
The Doll Festival, from the series Fashionable Amusements of the Five Festivals (Fûryû Gosekku asobi)
「風流五節句遊」 雛祭り
Japanese
Edo period
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Vertical ôban; 35.9 x 23.9 cm (14 1/8 x 9 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.18077
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
The second of the Five Festivals, known as the Doll Festival, occurred on the third day of the third lunar month. It was (and still is) a special holiday for little girls, featuring the display of elaborately costumed dolls. Here, a young woman has just removed a festival doll from its wooden storage box, while her little sister arranges a decorative bowl of shells. A third child clutches a branch of flowering cherry, which sometimes bloomed in time for the Doll Festival in addition to the peach blossoms that were the main floral symbol of the holiday.
Signed
Ryûkoku hitsu
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.