Artwork preview

A Wild Duck near a Snow-laden Shore

Utagawa Hiroshige

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A large bird with a black head, white neck and breast, and gold and green wings flies towards the right at a low angle. The bird's bill is open, revealing a yellow interior with a few darker spots. The bird's breast feathers resemble scales. The background depicts a body of water with snow falling across it. The water is dark blue at the bottom and fades to light blue and then gray at the top. White specks representing snowflakes are scattered throughout the air. In the foreground on the bottom-right, several bare tree branches protrude from the bottom-right corner. A red seal or stamp is on the bottom-right corner. Several Japanese characters are written vertically on the top-left side.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1843
Medium:
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Culture:
Japan
Dimensions:
289 × 624 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette