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No. 35, Plum-blossom Viewing at Azuma-no-mori (Azuma-no-mori umemi), from the series Comical Views of Famous Places in Edo (Edo meisho dôke zukushi)

(Japanese, active 1855–1865)
1859 (Ansei 6), 11th month
Medium/TechniqueWoodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper\
DimensionsVertical ôban; 37.4 x 25.2 cm (14 3/4 x 9 15/16 in.)
Credit LineWilliam Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession number11.16926
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsPrints
Description
Flower-viewing excursions could (and sometimes still do) become raucous affairs if sake was consumed as part of the celebration. In this scene from a series showing comical events at various places in Edo, a capering dancer, who seems to have indulged heavily already, bumps into a couple who are just arriving at the scenic grounds of the Azuma-no-mori shrine. He accidentally breaks the gourd of sake that the unfortunate pair had brought for themselves.
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.