Summer and Winter Landscapes

Object Details

• Artist

  Shiokawa Bunrin 塩川文麟 (1808-1877)

• Description

  A pair of six panel screens depicting summer and winter landscapes.

  F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" depicts a steamy summer landscape, where rain and a waterfall suggest the sounds of water. In the shade of several leafy trees is a humble cottage, the destination of the man crossing the footbridge. Typical Nanga foliage patterns in ink and pale washes of cool color suggest variety among the trees. Distant mountain peaks, nearly hidden by mist, lend depth to the scene.

  F1978.2 "Winter Landscape" is economically rendered with the snow-covered mountains silhouetted against an ink-darkened sky. A few dark crevices contour the slopes on which stand a few trees, their boughs laden with snow depicted with small amounts of white pigment.

• Signatures

  Bunrin's signature appears on both halves of the composition.

  F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" is signed "En Bunrin."

  F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" is signed "En Bunrin."

• Marks

  A total of five different seals of the artist appear on the two screens.

  The three on "Summer Landscape" are: "Bunrin no in", "Shion fu", and "Ka hitsuboku naru enka"--("transform brush and ink into smoke and mist").

  The three on "Summer Landscape" are: "Bunrin no in", "Shion fu", and "Ka hitsuboku naru enka"--("transform brush and ink into smoke and mist").

• Inscriptions

  F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" bears the longer of the two inscriptions, providing the date and the place: "Man'en kigen koshin shujitsu saku". "Kyocho". "En Bunrin" ("Done on an autumn day in the first year of the Man'en era [i.e. 1860] at the capital [Kyoto], En Bunrin.")

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — funds provided by the bequest of Edith Ehrman

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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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, 1860s, 1670s, 1660s

• Name

  Shiokawa, Bunrin

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Water, Art, Snow, Summer, Mountains, Landscapes, Rain, Winter, Waterfalls, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Men, Japanese Art, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings