Stone gathered from the Yi River at Longmen

Object Details

• Label

  By mounting this stone on a wooden stand, Charles Lang Freer was likely showing awareness of the Chinese tradition of collecting and displaying Scholars Rocks (spirit stones). In this tradition, natural (as well as subtly, almost invisibly hand-worked) stones were regarded as art. However, Freer’s choice of river stones does not conform to the usual aesthetic codes by which Scholar’s Rocks were chosen, thus his mounting of the stones places them in between the sentiments of a Westerner collector of geological specimens (with a strong souvenir interest because they are from Longmen) and the taste and aesthetic considerations of a Chinese collector of Scholars Rocks.

• Provenance

  From 1911 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), gathered at the Yi River, at Longman, China, in 1911 [1]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record, this stone was "gathered at the Yi River by Mr. Charles L. Freer, while at Lung-men." See Reserved Miscellaneous List, R. 5675, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] 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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Longmen, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Natural Material

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1910s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  China, Longmen

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Chinese Art, Stone

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Natural materials