Waterfall of Flowers: Caring for the Aged in the Quarter (Hana no taki sato no yoro), from the series Comical Dances of the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara niwaka) by Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌éº?"Late Edo period

Waterfall of Flowers: Caring for the Aged in the Quarter (Hana no taki sato no yoro), from the series Comical Dances of the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara niwaka)

c. 1795

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Artwork details

Dimensions
33.2 x 23.4 cm (13 1/16 x 9 3/16 in.)
Location
Harvard Art Museums
Copyright
CC0 1.0

About this artwork

Editor: This is Kitagawa Utamaro's "Waterfall of Flowers: Caring for the Aged in the Quarter," a late Edo period print. The figures are so dynamic, but I'm curious about the title's reference to aging. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Notice the gourds and maple leaves; gourds symbolize longevity, while maple leaves can represent the passage of time and the beauty found even in decline. The title itself might be an ironic commentary. Editor: I see, so it's about layers of symbolism and cultural context. That's fascinating.

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