Winter landscape

Object Details

• Artist

  Shiokawa Bunrin 塩川文麟 (1808-1877)

• Label

  This atmospheric landscape provides a close and dramatic view of the steep slope of Arashiyama, a mountain on the banks of the Oi River that was a favorite site for excursions by the residents of Kyoto. The artist has rendered the snowy scene by leaving the silk unpainted, to represent the whiteness of snow. The effects of age and exposure have darkened the silk to mute the original effect. The striking realism of this painting comes in part from the artist's knowledge of European painting techniques and visual ideas, which he combines here with traditional Japanese materials and brush methods.

• Provenance

  To 1896

  Yamanaka & Company, to 1896 [1]

  From 1896 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1896 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Kakemono List, L. 69, pg. 15, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. The majority of Charles Lang Freer’s purchases from Yamanaka & Company were made at its New York branch. Yamanaka & Company maintained branch offices, at various times, in Boston, Chicago, London, Peking, Shanghai, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. During the summer, the company also maintained seasonal locations in Newport, Bar Harbor, and Atlantic City.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Landscapes in Japanese Art (February 2 to July 15, 2007)

  Real and Imagined Places in Japanese Art (March 4 to October 21, 2001)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 3 and 4 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

  This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1860s, 1670s, 1870s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Pine tree, Mountains, Charles Lang Freer collection, Landscapes, Art, Winter, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Rivers, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings