Daigensui Myō’ō

Object Details

• Provenance

  By 1971-1978

  N. V. Hammer, Inc., New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1978

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from N. V. Hammer, Inc., New York [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, no. V62.71, described as “1 Painting; Buddhist, 14th century; hanging scroll.” The object was sent by N. V. Hammer, Inc., and was received by the Freer on June 14, 1971. Nathan Vadim Hammer (1917-1980) owned the gallery N.V. Hammer, Inc. - Far Eastern Art in New York City. The son of Russian-Polish immigrants, he joined his father in the family business, United Metal Box Co., which made kitchen and bath cabinetry for higher-end hotels and apartment buildings. In 1942, the company received its first U. S. federal contract for a 1.5 million ammunition boxes. Nathan served as a Vice President for the company for many years, and in about 1975 he and his second wife, Marion (Ariowitsch) Hammer, relocated to Switzerland, where Marion was born. After Nathan’s death, Marion would continue to sell art and antiquities in her own name.

  [2] See object file for copy of N. V. Hammer, Inc., invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated September 20, 1978, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on May 26, 1972. The object, V62.71, is described as, “1 Japanese painting; Kamakura—Buddhist; 14th century; Dai Gensuimyōō.”

  Research updated October 19, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Words of Wisdom: Buddhist Calligraphy from Japan (April 1, 2023 to February 25, 2024)

  Religious Art of Japan (December 18, 2002 to January 4, 2015)

  Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)

• Previous custodian or owner

  N.V. Hammer, Inc.

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s, 1300s

• Name

  N.V. Hammer, Inc.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Kamakura period (1185 - 1333), Art, Daigensui Myo'o, Japanese Art, Nanbokucho period (1333 - 1392), Kakemono

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings