A Private Puppet Performance

Object Details

• Artist

  Okumura Masanobu 奥村政信 (1686-1764)

• Label

  A large private residence is the setting for this performance by itinerant puppeteers. Chanters and a musician provide vocal and musical accompaniment for the puppeteer. To the left, behind a shoji (sliding paper-covered screen) are additional puppets. The single figure in the right foreground is probably a narrator. Women of the household enjoy the performance discreetly from behind bamboo screens. The artist Masanobu incorporated principles of European perspective into this picture. Uki-e, or perspective pictures, were a specialty of this artist, who created both paintings and prints in the new style.

• Provenance

  To 1902

  Bunshichi Kobayashi (circa 1861-1923), Boston, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Yokohama, to 1902 [1]

  From 1902 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunshichi Kobayashi in 1902 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Panel List, L. 18, pg. 4, 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

  The Floating World: Ukiyo-e Paintings and Prints (December 8, 2002 to May 26, 2003)

  Japanese Theatre in the Edo Period (July 22, 1985 to October 15, 1985)

  Japanese Lacquer (18 May 1980 to 15 June 1980)

  Japanese Ceramics/Puppets (June 16, 1980 to July 14, 1980)

  Japanese Ceramics (July 15, 1980 to June 21, 1982)

  Japanese Ukiyo-e Painting (May 2, 1973 to July 1, 1974)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Kobayashi Bunshichi 小林文七 (ca. 1861-1923) (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, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Kobayashi, Bunshichi, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Shamisen, Music, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Puppets, Japanese Art, Ukiyo-e, Uki-e, Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings