Collection Online as of February 6, 2023
Carp Ascending a Waterfall
Keisai Eisen 渓斎 英泉
(Japanese, 1790–1848)
(1615-1868)
Color woodblock print
Sheet: 72.4 x 24.2 cm (28 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.)
Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.1049
Location
not on view
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.