Murasaki Shikibu composing the Tale of Genji at Ishiyamadera

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At A Glance

  • Period

    19th century
  • Geography

    Japan
  • Material

    Full color, ink, and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (image): 38.5 × 54.8 cm (15 3/16 × 21 9/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1901.166
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1901.166

Object Details

  • Artist

    Gakutei Harunobu (active ca. 1813-ca. 1868)
  • Description

    Murasaki Shikibu ( A young woman with writing materials in a pavilion overlooking a river).
    Full color, ink and gold.
    Two inscriptions, signature and seal.
  • Signatures

    Signature [Jap] Koryusai (hana no ikina) Harunobu gwa.
  • Marks

    Seal: [Jap], but the radical of the second character is no longer legible, and [Jap] are uncertain.
  • Inscriptions

    Two inscriptions.
  • Provenance

    To 1901
    Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (1853-1908), New York, NY, and Spring Hill, AL, to 1901 [1]
    From 1901 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Ernest Francisco Fenollosa in 1901 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Kakemono List, pg. 58, no. 258, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [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

    Painting the Classics: Japanese Scrolls and Beyond (November 17, 2018 to October 20, 2019)
    Japanese Lacquer (April 16, 1979 to October 8, 1980)
    Japanese Ukiyo-e Painting (May 2, 1973 to July 1, 1974)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (1853-1908) (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)

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