The World of Men and Animals

Object Details

• Label

  Represented here and in the painting The World of Devas (F1904.342), are parts of the Six Realms of Existence into which living beings may be reborn according to Buddhist beliefs. In this painting are the worlds of men and animals, which correspond closely to the natural world of human experience. Nonetheless, according to Buddhist ideas, that realm is governed by illusion, desire, and sorrow. Hunting and other acts that involve oppression and destruction of one living being by another are illustrated here. This painting, like F1904.342, was created to give tangible form to complex Buddhist ideas regarding illusion, attachment, and rebirth.

• Provenance

  Mr. Kawahara, Osaka [1]

  To 1904

  Yamanaka & Company, to 1904 [2]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company in 1904 [3]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] According to a note from the Original Kakemono List (see Curatorial Remark 3, in the object record).

  [2] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Kakemono List, L. 492, pg. 137, 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.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] 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

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

  Japanese Art (April 11, 1978 to March 6, 1981)

  Japanese Art (January 1, 1963 to July 1, 1966)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 1 and 2 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Hanging Scrolls, Ceramics, and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to January 23, 1951)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Ceramics and Painting (May 2, 1946 to October 2, 1947)

  Japanese Paintings Buddhist Etc. (January 5, 1928 to December 8, 1941)

  Japanese Paintings and Sculpture (May 2, 1923 to January 5, 1928)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mr. Kawahara

  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)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s, 1300s

• Name

  Kawahara, Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Kamakura period (1185 - 1333), Art, Japanese Art, Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings