A tortoise on a rocky bank above water

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    early 19th-late 19th century
  • Geography

    Japan
  • Material

    Ink and tint on silk panel
  • Dimension

    H x W (image): 92.3 × 30.9 cm (36 3/8 × 12 3/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1898.506
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1898.506

Object Details

  • Artist

    Shibata Zeshin 柴田是真 (1807-1891)
  • School/Tradition

    Shijo
  • Provenance

    To 1898
    Edward S. Hull Jr., New York to 1898 [1]
    From 1898 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Edward S. Hull Jr. in 1898 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Reserved Kakemono List, R. 146, pg. 5, as well as Voucher No. 27, June 1898, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Edward S. Hull Jr. was Ernest Francisco Fenollosa’s (1853-1908) lawyer. Hull often acted as an agent, facilitating purchases of objects consigned to him by Fenollosa, as well as purchases of objects consigned to him by Fenollosa's
    well-known associate, Bunshichi Kobayashi (see correspondence, Hull to Freer, 1898-1900, as well as invoices from E.S. Hull Jr., 1898-1900, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives). See also, Ingrid Larsen, "'Don’t Send Ming or Later Pictures': Charles Lang Freer and the First Major Collection of Chinese Painting in an American Museum," Ars Orientalis vol. 40 (2011), pgs. 15 and 34. See further, Thomas Lawton and Linda Merrill, Freer: A Legacy of Art, (Washington, DC and New York: Freer Gallery of Art and H. N. Abrams, 1993), pgs. 133-134.
    [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

    Birds and Beasts in Japanese Art (January 31 to July 18, 2004)
    Japanese and Chinese Lacquer (September 22, 1982 to June 30, 1983)
    Japanese Lacquer (18 May 1980 to 15 June 1980)
    Japanese Lacquer (April 16, 1979 to October 8, 1980)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Edward S. Hull Jr. (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Japan
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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