Hibiscus and Sparrow
Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1833–34
No print size passed the check for this piece: at 10 x 8 in, Wrong shape: a 15% crop. We would rather show it than sell a soft print.
See pieces like it you can buyA sparrow dives past a branch of pink hibiscus, wings swept back, an instant from passing out of the sheet. The classic kachō-ga pairing — bird and flower, motion and stillness — done with Hokusai's draftsman's speed: the bird is all trajectory. The hibiscus leaves are toothed like saw blades, each notch a carver's decision; the sparrow's underside is one soft, unbroken tone. "The flower holds still. The bird cannot."
- Maker
- Katsushika Hokusai
- Date
- c. 1833–34
- Medium of the original
- Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Rights
- Cleared for print
- Catalogue number
- PA-00376
Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.
| Size | Why |
|---|---|
| 10 x 8 in | Wrong shape: a 15% crop |
| 12 x 8 in | 140 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 14 x 11 in | Wrong shape: a 13% crop |
| 16 x 12 in | 95 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 18 x 12 in | 93 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 20 x 16 in | Wrong shape: a 15% crop |
| 24 x 16 in | 70 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 24 x 18 in | 63 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 30 x 20 in | 56 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 30 x 24 in | Wrong shape: a 15% crop |
| 36 x 24 in | 46 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 40 x 30 in | 38 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 48 x 36 in | 31 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 60 x 40 in | 28 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
- Scanned
- 2026-10-07
- Master file
- 1,686 x 1,146 px, srgb
- Tone
- Darks 86, lights 226 of 255; 0% clipped light, 0% clipped dark
- Colour
- 0% vivid
- Sharpness
- 4.8
- Notes
- Neutrals lean toward green: the paper and varnish of the original, kept as scanned
The Floating World
Japanese woodblock prints, from ukiyo-e to Yoshitoshi, Goyō, Hasui and Yoshida.
All 64 pieces from The Floating World
