Section of the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life

Object Details

• Provenance

  Probably 16th Century-?

  Reportedly in the collection of the Maeda daimyo of Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan [1]

  1999-2000

  Unidentified dealer, probably Gogatsudō Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  2000

  Andreas Leisinger, Tokyo, Japan, as an agent for Gogatsudō Gallery, Tokyo, Japan [3]

  2000-2013

  Sylvan Barnet (1926-2016) and William Burto (1921-2013) (owned jointly), purchased from Andreas Leisinger, Tokyo, Japan [4]

  2013-2014

  Sylvan Barnet and National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, bequeathed by William Burto to the Smithsonian [5]

  From 2014

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See Miyeko Murase, et al., “The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection” [exhibition catalog] (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 1, 2002- March 2, 2003), pp. 56-58, cat. 9, connecting the object to the Maeda family “It may have been acquired by Maeda Toshiie (1558‐1599), the most influential and cultivated daimyo in the Momoyama period, when the creation of tekagami albums became fashionable.” See also Takahashi Yoji, ed., “Yasuragi no Bukkyō bijutsu”, vol. 25 of Kottō o tanoshimu, Bessatsu Taiyō (Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1999), p. 167. [Translation] “Passed down from the Kaga Maeda family.” The image of the object appears in an advertisement for Gogatsudō Gallery of Tokyo, Japan. See also note 3.

  The Maeda family were feudal lords in Kaga Province who were patrons of the arts; they were the second largest landowners in Japan after the Tokugawa family. Toshinari Maeda (1885-1942) was the sixteenth marquis of the Maeda family and a General in the Imperial Japanese Army; under his stewardship, the family’s art collection expanded to include European paintings and sculptures.

  Ueno Takeshi (dates unknown) is a dealer of Asian art focusing on Japanese art, and he founded Gogatsudō Fine Arts & Antiques in Tokyo in the late 20th century. His son Akira (dates unknown) has operated the gallery, which is known as

  Gogatsudō Art Gallery, since about 2007.

  [2] See note 1 and 3.

  [3] See object file for copy of June 19, 2000 email from Sylvan Barnet and William Burto to Andreas Leisinger, and Leisinger’s response (dated June 25, 2000), which notes, “The scroll is on its way to you, by FedEx.” Leisinger also includes details on the scroll, writing, “it might be labelled as follows: Kammu Ryōuju Sutra, ‘Renge O’ in Gire.’” Leisinger also writes, “Provenance: Maeda Family (Daimyo of Kaga, today’s Ishikawa Prefecture).” Further, see June 29 email from Barnet and Burto to Leisinger. The pair wrote, “We continue to be very pleased with the new piece, and we await your words about payment.” In his response, Leisinger supplies banking information. See also copy of June 29, 2000 email from Leisinger to Barnet and Burto. In a response to a June 28, 2000 email from Barnet and Burto, regarding the existence of additional certifications and/or auction listings for the object, Leisinger wrote, “The piece has no certificates and other papers because it comes directly out of a TEKAGAMI in the hands of a dealer, who has been mounting pieces in it and selling them one by one.” Additionally, see note 1.

  Andreas Leisinger is a scholar, collector, and dealer of Japanese art, notably Buddhist themes and calligraphy. An acquaintance and editorial colleague of the collectors Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, Leisinger lived in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, from at least the 1980s through the 1990s. As a scholar he has contributed numerous of German-language works on Buddhist art by translating them, including “Zen Masters of Meditation in Images and Writings,” by Helmut Brinker and Hiroshi Kanazawa. Numerous American museums have acquired objects from his collection.

  [4] See object file F2014.6.1-19 “Japan, Heian period, Group of Calligraphies, Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto. Documents: 2004-2013” for Gift Agreement between the Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Sylvan Barnet and William Burto. Signed by the Director on August 9, 2004, and counter-signed by Barnet and Burto August 13, 2004. The object is described as “Section of the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life.” Additionally, see object file for a copy of the “Will of William Burto,” signed and dated February 14, 2011, Article I, “Executor. I appoint Sylvan Barnet, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be Executor of this will,” and Article II, “I give my art collection as follows: (1) To the Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., all of my right, title and interest, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all copyright and associated rights, in the following works of art,” including “Section of the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life,” described as “Segment of a handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; malachite, gold, and silver on paper.” See also The William Burto Revocable Trust, signed and dated June 9, 2011.

  Sylvan Barnet (1926-2015) and William Burto (1921-2013) were scholars of English literature and collectors of Asian art, focusing on Korean and Japanese works. The two amassed one of the finest private collections of Zen calligraphy, which featured works from the Nara through the Edo periods. As a professor of English literature at Tufts University in the early 1960s, Barnet proposed unique editions of Shakespeare plays, complete with introductions and study aids, to New American Library. The publishing house would produce “The Signet Classic Shakespeare” from 1963 to 1972. Barnet served as general editor as well as providing introductions for several plays, and these popular editions were widely adopted by universities throughout the United States.

  Barnet and Burto purchased their first object, a Korean celadon bowl, in New York in 1963. Just a few years later, they purchased their first calligraphy from Nathan V. Hammer, a work by Jiun Onkō. Following William Burto’s death in 2013, his half of the collection was given to the The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Harvard Art Museums; Metropolitan Museum of Art; and the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, respectively. Before his death in 2016, Sylvan Barnet donated his half of the collection to the same institutions.

  [5] See note [4], and object file F2014.6.1-19 “Japan, Heian period, Group of Calligraphies, Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto. Acquisition papers,” for Deed of Gift signed by Sylvan Barnet September 24, 2014, and counter-signed by the Director on October 7, 2014. In the attached object list, it is noted that Barnet is giving the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, his “50% share of ownership of: Section of the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life” described as “Late Heian period, 12th century; Japan; Malachite, gold, and silver on paper,” with the credit line “Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto.” This object is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  [6] See notes 4 and 5.

  Research updated July 12, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection (October 1, 2002 to March 02, 2003)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Maeda daimyo of Kaga

  Sylvan Barnet (1926-2015)

  William Burto (1921-2013)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto

• Type

  Calligraphy

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s

• Name

  Barnet, Sylvan, Maeda, daimyo of Kaga, Burto, William

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Late Heian (Fujiwara) period (897 - 1185), Japanese Art

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Calligraphy (visual works)