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Multitudes of Cranes

A work made of color woodblock print; surimono.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of color woodblock print; surimono.

Date:

spring 1863

Artist:

Bokushin
Japanese, active 19th century

About this artwork

This is a striking image of a rising sun and 50 cranes flying in formation above a cloud bank. These symbols of long life were used here to honor the 50th birthday of the poet Baigyo. Called chimei, a 50th birthday was seen as a big stepping-stone in life and a halfway point to the idealized old age of 100.
The artist Bokushin is not well known today, indicating the great number of artists available to surimono publishers at this time. He may have been a poet who excelled in the visual arts. It is also possible that the design was copied from a work with a similar design by another artist.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Artist

Bokushin

Title

Multitudes of Cranes

Place

Japan (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1863

Medium

Color woodblock print; surimono

Dimensions

57 × 43.7 cm (22 1/2 × 17 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Charles H. Mitchell Collection unrestricted gift

Reference Number

1972.1381

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/41906/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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