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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858) – Ohashi bridge, sudden shower at Atake  Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2026 UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR  $332,800, SIX AND A HALF TIMES OVER THE LOW ESTIMATE.

Over the course of half a century, the American businessman Alan Medaugh assembled one of the largest and greatest collections of woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Ohashi Atake no yudachi (Ohashi bridge, sudden shower at Atake) is a perfect example of what makes the Medaugh collection special. The image with rain falling across the page is iconic. The condition in full, unfaded color, is pristine. The impression is an early one, with the two boats beside the far shore still visible. The estimate is $50,000-$100,000.

A group of more than 600 sheets, many of the absolute greatest rarity, quality, and state of preservation focusing on the earliest impressions is to be auctioned at Christie’s in New York. The first of what promises to be a three-sale series of sales on September 17 will include more than 180 prints spanning the artist’s career. Hiroshige is especially famous for his compositions, atypical points of view, and his rich and striking use of colour. His prints helped usher in one of the greatest eras of Japanese printmaking and they changed Western art as well as they were hugely influential on 19th century European art.

UPDATE: THE 181 LOTS IN THIS SALE MADE $6,991,616.