Bodhidharma

Object Details

• Artist

  Sakai Hoitsu 酒井抱一 (1761-1828)

• Label

  Hoitsu's paintings, whether of bird-and-flower scenes or narrative episodes, were most often based on classical Japanese literature. When he occasionally produced Buddhist-related paintings, they were usually in full color and within the complex representational system of deities and mandalas found in esoteric Buddhist sects. This image of the founding Zen patriarch Bodhidharma (sixth century) was a thematic rarity for the artist. Zen-related painting favored the use of ink monochrome for its spontaneity. Hoitsu's technique of lush brushstrokes and subtle modulation of color on silk softens the severe simplicity associated with Bodhidharma images.

  The two-line inscription suggests that adherence to societal norms binds the spirit with an invisible cord.

• Provenance

  To 1998

  Andreas Leisinger, Zushi, Japan, to 1998

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Andreas Leisinger in 1998

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art (June 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016)

  Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer's Japanese Illustrated Books (April 6 to August 11, 2013)

  More Than Flowers: Sources of Tradition in Japanese Painting (September 2, 2001 to November 24, 2002)

  Selections from the Japanese Collection (March 22 to November 29, 1999)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Andreas Leisinger

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• 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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• 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

  Leisinger, Andreas

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Zen Buddhism, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Kakemono, Bodhidharma

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings