Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku Bridge)

In this five-print series, Edo meisho no uchi (Among the Famous Views of Edo), Hiroshige employs a highly distinctive technique known as sunago-zuri, which creates an effect resembling sunago, the fine gold-sprinkled decoration often found in traditional Yamato-e-style paintings. Here, the clouds are illuminated by moonlight, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The technique also lends a festive and lively mood to the composition, a quality that is absent from Hiroshige’s much more famous print also featuring fireworks and Ryogoku Bridge (Lot 24) from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo).