Occasional Papers

For more than six decades, the Freer Occasional Papers Series has provided a forum for peer-reviewed scholarly works on a wide range of topics in Asian, ancient Near Eastern, Islamic, and American art. The format of the Occasional Papers varies according to subject and ranges from monographs, conference proceedings, and multi-author treatments of a theme or material, to studies in conservation and scientific research.

The original print editions of volumes published before 2008 are now available as PDFs. We are revitalizing many of these seminal studies by adding images and including other supplementary resources. These new special editions are made accessible as they are finalized.

New Publication

Dragon’s Roar: Chinese Literati Musical Instruments in the Freer and Sackler Collections

The gentle sound of the qin zither is familiar from Chinese classical music, and the instrument itself has an extremely long and storied history. This lavishly illustrated volume focuses attention on the seven important qin zithers, which date from the period between the late Middle Ages and modern times, featured in the National Museum of Asian Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Yang Yuanzheng, one of the leading experts on qins in the world, traces the history of qin instruments, which are currently understood to originate in the Bronze Age, and describes three eras in the development of the qin zither and its cultural environment. He carefully analyzes the construction of the instruments and questions earlier assumptions about their age and origins. Yang’s insights, the cultural significance of the qin zithers and the unique nature of the instruments in the Freer and Sackler make this volume essential reading for art historians and music archaeologists, as well as lovers of this instrument itself. Yang Yuanzheng is professor in the Department of Music at the University of Hong Kong.

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cover of Dragon's Roar - four qin zithers on a white background

Explore the qin, its influences, and related paintings in Look & Listen: Asian Art and Music, Bell Yung, qin, with Keith Wilson.

The Freer Occasional Papers Digital Repository

The Grand Empress Dowager Wên Ming and the Northern Wei Necropolis at Fang Shan

A.G. Wenley
vol. 1, no. 1, 1947
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Paintings, Pastels, Drawings, Prints, and Copper Plates by and Attributed to American and European Artists, Together with a List of Original Whistleriana in the Freer Gallery of Art

Burns A. Stubbs
vol. 1, no. 2, 1948

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The Unicorn

Richard Ettinghausen
vol. 1, no. 3, 1950

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James McNeill Whistler: A Biographical Outline Illustrated from the Collections of the Freer Gallery of Art

Burns A. Stubbs
vol. 1, no. 4, 1950

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2016 Digital Edition: Download

A Royal Head from Ancient Egypt

Georg Steindorff
vol. 1, no. 5, 1951

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