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「雅遊五節句之内 七夕」
Tanabata, from the series Elegant Play of the Five Festivals (Gayû go sekku no uchi)
「雅遊五節句之内 七夕」
Japanese
Edo period
about 1840 (Tenpô 11)
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Vertical ôban; 35.5 x 23.6 cm (14 x 9 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.36512
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
The Tanabata Festival, on the seventh day of the seventh month, celebrates the annual conjunction of two stars representing mythical lovers, the Herd Boy and the Weaving Girl, who can meet only once a year. Homes and shops are decorated with “trees” made of bamboo stalks adorned with colorful paper ornaments, often inscribed with classical poems or personal wishes. In this print, three little girls prepare an elaborate decoration to be displayed on the roof of their home.
Catalogue Raisonné
Chiba City Mus., Ukiyo-e ni egakareta kodomotachi (2014), #68; Iwakiri 2011, #245; Kumon Kodomo Kenkyûjo, Ukiyo-e no kodomotachi/Children Depicted in Ukiyoe (1995), #25; the series: Robinson, Kuniyoshi (1961), list #129
Signed
(signature cut off of this impression)
Marks
No censor's seal
改印：なし
改印：なし
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)
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.