Print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1840)

Catalog note / 解説

Inada, yellowtail or amberjack ( Seriola quinqueradiata ) and fugu, blowfish or puffer ( Fugu pardalis ). Together with plum blossom. Poem by Suzugaki. From the second series of nine fish prints published c 1840 – 42 by Yamasho ( Yamadoya Shobei ). Ex collection Felix Bracquemond ( 1833 – 1914 ). Japonisme in France usually starts with Bracquemond who was a graphic artist and designer and also worked with ceramics. He discovered Hokusai’s Manga in 1856 and used it as source material. He produced a number of etchings, often of birds and some with fish, obviously partly inspired by Japanese prints, including Hiroshige’s prints. So, it’s reasonable to suppose these were the actual prints he us…