Object Details
Label
On the lid of this box is an imaginary portrait of the poet Ki no Tsurayuki (circa 868-945), compiler of the early tenth-century imperial anthology Kokinshu (Collection of ancient and modern poems). A poem by Tsurayuki from the Kokinshu is inscribed in the space above the tatami mat on which he is seated.
Like my cupped hands (musubu te no)
Spilling drops back into the mountain pool (shizuku ni nigoru)
And clouding its pure waters (yama no i no)
Before the satisfaction of my thirst (akade mo hito ni)
So have I had to part with you too soon. (wakarenuru ka na)
(Translation by Robert H. Brower and Earl Miner, Japanese Court Poetry [Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1961], 207-208)
The design of this box was adapted from a page in a woodblock-printed illustrated edition of Sanjurokkasen (Thirty-six immortal poets) published during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries by a close associate of the calligrapher and artist, Hon'ami Koetsu (1558-1637) the wealthy merchant Suminokura Soan (1571-1632). Soan's beautiful editions of classical works of Japanese literature were called Sagabon (Saga editions) after the place where they were printed near Kyoto. Although this lacquer box is only indirectly related to Koetsu, it confirms his enduring prestige and importance to artists of the Edo period.
Provenance
To 1906
Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1906 [1]
From 1906 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by Bunkio Matsuki in 1906 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] Undated folder sheet note. See Reserved Lacquer List, R. 5012, 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
Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art (June 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016)
Japanese Art in the Age of Koetsu (June 6, 1998 to February 15, 1999)
James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art (May 11, 1984 to December 5, 1984)
Studies in Connoisseurship 1923-1983 (September 23, 1983 to March 1, 1984)
Japanese and Chinese Lacquer (September 22, 1982 to June 30, 1983)
Japanese Lacquer (18 May 1980 to 15 June 1980)
Rimpa Screens (October 9, 1980 to December 21, 1981)
Japanese Lacquer (April 16, 1979 to October 8, 1980)
Previous custodian or owner
Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
1615-1868
Period
Edo period
Accession Number
F1906.288a-d
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Container
Medium
Lacquer, gold, and metal leaf on wood
Dimensions
H x W x D: 5.3 x 23.5 x 21.8 cm (2 1/16 x 9 1/4 x 8 9/16 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
lacquer
portrait
Edo period (1615 - 1868)
writing
poetry
poet
Japan
lettering
Japanese Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
maki-e
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1906.288a-d