Hiroshige's bird-and-flower prints (kacho-e) were enormously popular during his lifetime. Typically in vertical chuban or koban format, they represent the most accessible entry point for collectors of Hiroshige's work. Fine impressions retain remarkable freshness of color.
Two ducks paddle among reed stems in this chu-[tanzaku](/glossary/tanzaku) print from around 1834–39. The vertical format frames the birds in a sliver of wetland — brown stems, dark water, and the ducks' plumage rendered with careful attention to the difference between the male's iridescent head and the female's mottled brown. Such paired-bird subjects carried associations of conjugal fidelity in Japanese artistic tradition.
Two Ducks Swimming Among Reeds was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) in c. 1834/39.
Two Ducks Swimming Among Reeds depicts birds & flowers, rivers & lakes, and animals.
