White heron on a snowy willow

Object Details

• Artist

  Soami (died 1525)

• Label

  The form of a gnarled willow branch and white heron emerge subtly against a pale gray sky. Contour lines and explicit definition of form are almost entirely absent from this painting. By painting only the "negative" areas, such as the sky and the underside of the branch, the white paper itself is made to indicate the positive forms of the heron and snow. The ghostly form of the heron is defined almost entirely by "negative wash," the tinting of the area around the bird. The limb of the willow is represented by a few broad, rough strokes of ink along the underside, a dynamic technique known as haboku (broken ink) that was introduced into Japanese ink painting during the late 15th century. Only the black ink of the eye, beak, and legs of the heron provide sharp accents within the predominantly pale tonality.

  The painter, Soami, was especially admired for his mastery of ink wash, the technique used almost exclusively in this painting. Soami served the Ashikaga shogun as one of the doboshu, a special group of advisors on aesthetic matters. Because of his expertise concerning Chinese works of art, Soami was responsible for the care and classification of the shoguns' extensive collections of Chinese paintings, ceramics, and other antiquities which had been in formation since the 14th century. Although he had a privileged familiarity with this extensive private collection of Chinese antiquities, Soami expressed in his ink paintings a distinctly Japanese sensibility that prefigures the renascence of Japanese aesthetics in the arts of the Momoyama period (1573-1615). The majority of Soami's surviving paintings are landscapes, some of very large scale for sliding doors. This scroll of more intimate scale demonstrates the artist's mastery and control of ink wash and brush techniques as well as his ability to create an emotive image, deeply evocative of stillness and solitude.

• Provenance

  By 1972-1977

  Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1977

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, no. V16.73, described as “Painting; Ashikaga; by Soami,” which was received by the Freer on January 15, 1973, from Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. See also letter from Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. to H. P. Stern, dated January 2, 1973. Igaki Haruo

  wrote to inform the Freer that two objects, including the Sōami painting, where shipped via Japan Air Lines on December 22, 1972. See also copy of Japan Aircargo Consolidators, Ltd., dated December 22, 1972, showing cargo consigned to the Freer Gallery of Art. Mayuyama Matsutarō

  (1882-1935) began Mayuyama & Co in Beijing during April 1905, where he specialized in the sale of Chinese antiquities. In 1916, Mayuyama relocated to Tokyo, Japan, opening a store in the Ginza district and later in Kyōbashi. In Japan, the store featured Japanese works of art. After Matsutarō’s death his eldest son Junkichi (1913-1999) inherited the business.

  [2] See object file for Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated March 1, 1977, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on January 22, 1977. The object, V16.73, is described as “1 Japanese painting; Ashikaga; by Soami; signature and seal of artist; white heron in snow.”

  Research updated October 19, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  A Journey of Taste: Freer and Japanese Scroll Mounting (April 15, 2023 to March 3, 2024)

  Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan (December 13, 2014 to June 14, 2015)

  Seasons: Arts of Japan (February 5, 2011 to January 13, 2013)

  The Idea of China in Japan: The Tea Ceremony in Japan (December 19, 1999 to June 11, 2000)

  Luminous Shadows (April 1, 1982 to June 21, 1982)

  Japanese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to January 17, 1980)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mayuyama & Co., Ltd. (established 1916)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — funds provided by the bequest of Edith Ehrman

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1520s, 1400s

• Name

  Mayuyama & Co., Ltd.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Muromachi period (1333 - 1573), Snow, Japanese Art, Herons, Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings