Object Details
Artist
Ozawa Nankoku (1844 -?)
Signatures
Signature reads "Done by Ozawa Nankoku".
Marks
Contains one seal; possibly reads: (?) Japan, Ozawa Nankoku (?).
Label
A young Japanese crane preens as he steps through a field of ripe rice. Against the autumnal colors of the plants, the crane is portrayed in dramatically large scale, seeming almost to emerge from the painting.
The artist Ozawa Nankoku studied painting with Okamoto Shuki (1807-1862), who specialized in flower-and-bird painting in Chinese-inspired styles. In this work, however, Nankoku takes an independent and modern approach to a traditional subject. Instead of following the conventional formulas of meticulous brush techniques and formulaic compositional arrangement that usually characterize flower-and-bird subjects, Nankoku has placed the bird in a stark, natural setting and delineated the features of the crane in a strikingly realistic style. Nankoku's painting rejects idealism to portray the image of a living crane. According to a note in the acquisition files of Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), Nankoku was still living when Freer purchased this painting in 1897.
Provenance
To 1897
Rufus E. Moore (1840 - 1918), New York to 1897 [1]
From 1897 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Rufus E. Moore in 1897 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Kakemono Reserved List, pg. 1, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Birds and Beasts in Japanese Art (January 31 to July 18, 2004)
Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)
Previous custodian or owner
Rufus E. Moore (1840-1918) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
late 19th century
Period
Meiji era
Accession Number
F1897.98
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 97 x 72.4 cm (38 3/16 x 28 1/2 in)
Origin
Japan
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
crane
Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
Japan
Japanese Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1897.98