"Quail, Skylark (Uzura hibari) " - Kitagawa Utamaro 1

Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro the First (Japanese, 1754-1806)
Publisher: Tsutaya Jūzaburō (Japanese, 1750 - 1797)
Art Size: 10 x 15 in.
Frame Size: 16 x 22 in.
 
An Edo Period color woodblock kacho-e (bird and flower picture), on paper from the publication "Myriad Birds: A Poetry Contest (Momo chidori kyoka awase)"
 
Text Translation: Poems by 銭屋金埒(Zeniya no Kinrachi) Drawn by 喜多川歌麿(Kitagawa Utamaro)
 
鶉 .......... Uzura ......... Quail つふり光 ... Tsuburi Hikaru うづらふの ............ uzurafu no .................... though like a quail you're まだらまだらと ... madaramadara* to .... dotted all over with my くどけとも ............ kudoketomo ................ pleas on pleas on pleas, 粟の初穂の ............ awa no hatsuho no ... still you will not bend like millet おちかぬる君 ........ ochikanuru kimi .......... and fall for me
 
雲雀 ........ Hibari ........ Skylark 大空に ..................... oozora ni ................. now let it be a lesson おもひあがれる ... omoi agareru ......... that even the lark ひばりさへ ............ hibari sae ................. soaring high, haughty ゆふべハ落る ........ yuube wa ochiru ... in the open sky ならひこそあれ ... narai koso are** .... comes down in the evening　　 銭屋金埒 ...... Kinrachi Zeniya
 
On the left, a slender sky lark with brown and white speckled plumage stands upright, its head tilted slightly upward as if listening or observing, . To the right are pair of quail with dark brown feathers. One quail crouches down, seemingly foraging or, its beak nearing the ground. The other quale cranes its neck upward with its beak open as if singing. The birds are positioned within a artfully rendered natural setting featuring slender, reedy plants with small, feathery tops, along with a few broad-leaved green plants and a couple of small, light-colored blossoms. The upper left and right portions of the print are adorned with elegant Japanese calligraphy. The overall composition balances naturalistic detail with the stylized beauty.
 
The piece is elegantly matted and framed with a white cardboard matte and a simple, glossy, vintage, black frame. Glass protects the art. The art itself is in near perfect condition. The frame has a few digs in the finish consistent with age.