Carp Ascending a Waterfall

Description

In Asian lore the carp is associated with good fortune and perseverance. Although the carp lives primarily in quiet waters, its symbolic meanings have led to a Japanese design convention of showing the fish arching upward, often mounting waterfalls, as in this print.

Provenance

James Parmelee [1855–1931], Washington, DC, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1940); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1940–)

Carp Ascending a Waterfall

Keisai Eisen

early or mid-1830s

Accession Number

1940.1049

Medium

color woodblock print

Dimensions

Sheet: 72.4 x 24.2 cm (28 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of James Parmelee