April — 其四 牡丹
- Date:
- 1898
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
"April" (其四 牡丹 — "the fourth, peony") from 1898 depicts the April flowering of the peony — one of Japan's most celebrated ornamental flowers, its opulent blooms arriving after the cherry blossoms and before the iris, occupying April's specific position in the year's floral calendar. The peony in Japanese aesthetics carried associations of opulence, femininity, and spring's peak abundance, making it a natural companion for the bijin subject matter of Shuntei's monthly series. He renders the flower with the kacho-ga tradition's precision for botanical detail alongside his genre figures.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
April — 其四 牡丹 was created by Miyagawa Shuntei (宮川春汀) in 1898.
April — 其四 牡丹 depicts birds & flowers, spring, and bijin-ga.
