Landscapes of the Four Seasons

Object Details

• Artist

  Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691)

• Description

  Handscroll depicting landscapes of the four the seasons. Signature and seal. Silk makimono.

• Signatures

  Tosa Shō Mitsuoki hitsu

  土佐将　光起筆

  土佐将　光起筆

• Marks

  Artist's seal: Mitsuoki (read right to left) 光起

• Label

  Painters of the Tosa school, which had enjoyed the patronage of the imperial court, received renewed attention after Tosa Mitsuoki moved in 1634 from Sakai to Kyoto. In 1654, he became head of the Edokoro, the official Bureau of Painting. Into the conservative style and classical subject repertoire of seasonal landscapes and literary themes that were a specialty of Tosa painters, he introduced elements of brushwork and delineation from the Kano school, which had also assimilated significant influence from Chinese academic painting of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Some elements of the simplified designs and innovative compositions characteristic of the emergent Rimpa school of Kyoto can also be seen in his work. In this handscroll depicting the four seasons the sequence begins with spring, reading from right to left. Mitsuoki's lyrical approach to natural subjects can be appreciated fully in these landscapes.

• Provenance

  To 1904

  Michael Tomkinson (1841-1921), Kidderminster, England, to 1904 [1]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Michael Tomkinson in 1904 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Makimono Reserved List, R. 444, pg. 1, 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

  Japanese Art in the Age of Koetsu (June 6, 1998 to February 15, 1999)

  Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons in Japanese Art (September 14, 1977 to April 8, 1978)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Michael Tomkinson (1841-1921) (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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  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

  Freer, Charles Lang, Tomkinson, Michael

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Landscapes, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Seasons, Makimono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings