Chinese couplet

Object Details

• Artist

  Gion Nankai 祇園南海 (1677-1751)

• Description

  Hanging scroll with two lines of fluently written Chinese characters.

• Marks

  The upper intaglio seal beneath the signature reads, "Genyu no in." The lower relief seal reads, "Kan fu jin sho sen saishu."

• Inscriptions

  The inscription reads, "Cramped yet without hindrance in my thatched hut/Content in poverty, I enjoy the scent of cabbage."

• Provenance

  To 1978

  Dr. Kurt A. Gitter, New Orleans, LA [1]

  From 1978

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Dr. Kurt A. Gitter, New Orleans, LA [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office. Also see Curatorial Remark 5 in the object record.

  [2] Object was donated to the Freer Study Collection on February 1978 and transferred to the Freer Permanent Collection on March 1978. See May 13, 1996 dated folder sheet note, object file.

  Also see note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  From Concept to Context: Approaches to Asian and Islamic Calligraphy (July 28, 1986 to February 6, 1987)

  Japanese Nanga School Painting (November 7, 1985 to March 9, 1987)

  Japanese Calligraphy (December 21, 1984 to November 7, 1985)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. Kurt Gitter

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Dr. Kurt A. Gitter in memory of Harold P. Stern

• Type

  Calligraphy

• 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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• Related Resources

  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

  Gitter, Kurt

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Couplet, Calligraphy, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Calligraphy (visual works)