Snow Lanterns

About this work

Lanterns line the curve of an arched bridge, each one a small glowing point, and their light falls into the dark river below as long gold streaks. Snow covers the roofs of the houses along the bank, while more snow drifts down through the air in fine gold specks. The river cuts through the scene and holds most of the reflections, so the eye travels from lantern to water and back along the bridge. The colours are mainly deep blue-black, white and gold, which gives the picture the clarity of a woodblock print. From across a room the bridge and its lights read clearly; up close the flakes, the edges of the roofs and the broken reflections come forward. It feels still and sheltered.

This is a reimagining in gold of Utagawa Hiroshige's winter prints, not a copy of one sheet. Hiroshige was known for weather — rain, mist, moonlight and snow — and prints such as Night Snow at Kambara, from his Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, show how much feeling he could draw from a silent snowfall. Japan also has its own winter custom of yukimi, or snow-viewing, and many gardens hold a yukimi-dōrō, a stone lantern made to wear a cap of snow. Light in the dark season is the thread that ties this picture to Christmas.

As a winter scene rather than a holiday one, it can hang from December through to March. A calm living room, a hallway or a bedroom all suit it, especially on slate, warm white or midnight blue walls. A thin black frame suits its woodblock character, and a wide white mat makes the night deeper. A warm lamp nearby echoes the lanterns. A medium print fits beside a bed or above a bench, and a large one lets the reflections stretch across a wall. It joins Golden Christmas Eve and The Golden Reindeer in the Winter Night in Gold set. With around 9,000 px on the long edge, it prints cleanly to roughly 76 cm at 300 dpi.