Waves at Matsushima (Tawaraya Sotatsu) : Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian : Art Project, powered by Google

These paintings of white-capped waves and clouds of gold and silver surrounding islands with pine trees is one of only six pairs in existence by the renowned painter Tawaraya Sotatsu. Today they are considered masterpieces. Although he began his career as a townsman painter (machi-eshi), Sotatsu received commissions from the imperial court and was awarded the title Hokkyo (Bridge of the [Buddhist] Law) around 1630. Freer admired Sotatsu's work and collected several examples of his paintings, including the full-size pair of screens Dragons and Clouds. He purchased them in 1905 from Kobayashi Bunshichi (1863-1923), the same art dealer who sold Waves at Matsushima to Freer in 1906. In addition, Freer had purchased in 1900 a screen mounted with fans from Sotatsu's earlier fan-decorating workshop, Tawaraya. These acquisitions established Freer's collection as one of the world's premier holdings of Sotatsu's screen paintings.

Artwork Name	Artist Name
Jamshid Writing on a Rock	Abd as-Samad Shirin Qalam
The St. Petersburg Album: Allegorical representation of Emperor Jahangir and Shah	Abu'l
Illustration from a Dictionary (unidentified): Da'ud Receives a Robe of Honor from Mun'im Khan	Attributed to Hiranand
Lotus and Ducks	Bada Shanren
Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St. Petersburg album	Bichitr
Folio from an Arabic translation of the Materia Medica by Dioscorides; recto: outdoor scene with mad dog biting man	Calligrapher: Abdallah ibn al-Fadl; Author: Pedanius Dioscorides
Kongara-doji, attendant to the Buddhist Deity, Fudo Myo-o (one of a pair with F1970.27)	Choga,
Kongara-doji, attendant to the Buddhist Deity, Fudo Myo-o (one of a pair with F1970.28)	Choga,
Thunder God	Hokusai, Katsushika
Cranes, one of a pair, also see F1997.25.1	Jakuchu,
Cranes, one of a pair, also see F1997.25.2	Jakuchu,
Bodhisattva	Kaikei
The Lord Krishna in the Golden City (Harivamsha)	Kesu Kalan and Miskin
Trees, one of a pair with F1962.31	Master of I-nen Seal
Trees, one of a pair with F1962.32	Master of I-nen Seal
Tea-leaf storage jar	Ninsei,
Incense box	Ogata Kenzan and Narutaki workshop
Ewer (ibriq)	Qasim ibn Ali
Buddhist Luohan (one of a set with F1904.298)	Royozen
Album of Calligraphy	Sha Mahmud Nishapuri and Salim al-Katib
Waves at Matsushima	Sotatsu, Tawaraya
Waves at Matsushima	Sotatsu, Tawaraya
Moonlight Revelry at Dozo Sagami	Utamaro, Kitagawa
Arrangement in Black: Portrait of F. R. Leyland	Whistler, James McNeill
Arrangement in White and Black	Whistler, James McNeill
Caprice in Purple and Gold: The Golden Screen	Whistler, James McNeill
Chelsea Shops	Whistler, James McNeill
Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl	Whistler, James McNeill
Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room	Whistler, James McNeill
Harmony in Green and Rose: The Music Room	Whistler, James McNeill
Nocturne	Whistler, James McNeill
Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso	Whistler, James McNeill
Nocturne: Battersea Bridge	Whistler, James McNeill
Nocturne: Blue and Silver—Battersea Reach	Whistler, James McNeill
Nocturne: Blue and Silver—Bognor	Whistler, James McNeill
Portrait of Charles Lang Freer	Whistler, James McNeill
Rotherhithe	Whistler, James McNeill
The Doorway	Whistler, James McNeill
The Little Red Glove	Whistler, James McNeill
The Princess from the Land of Porcelain	Whistler, James McNeill
The Thames in Ice	Whistler, James McNeill
The White Symphony: Three Girls	Whistler, James McNeill
Variations in Flesh Colour and Green—The Balcony	Whistler, James McNeill
Variations in Pink and Grey: Chelsea	Whistler, James McNeill
Folio from the Ramayana of Valmiki (The Freer Ramayana), vol. 2, folio 236, recto: Hanuman returns the mountain with the four healing plants to the Himalayas	Zayn al'-'Abidin
A Breath of Spring	Zou Fulei
A section of the Koran	artist unknown
Amida	artist unknown
Basin	artist unknown
Beaker	artist unknown
Bowl	artist unknown
Bowl	artist unknown
Bowl	artist unknown
Brass candlestick, repousse, chased and inlaid with copper and silver	artist unknown
Buddhist Altar Pendant	artist unknown
Canteen	artist unknown
Carrying a Zither while Searching for Plum Blossoms	artist unknown
Carved lacquer food box	artist unknown
Ceremonial sickle	artist unknown
Child Saint Sambandar	artist unknown
Disk (bi) with feline and dragon	artist unknown
Double-shelled ewer	artist unknown
Five Recruits: Ummee Chund, Indur, Goolzaree, Bukhtawur and Juhaz	artist unknown
Flask	artist unknown
Flask	artist unknown
Flower vase with two lugs	artist unknown
Folio from Khusraw u Shirin by Nizami; recto: Khusraw at the castle of Shirin	artist unknown
Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Sultan Ahmad Jalayir; a nomad camp in central Asia	artist unknown
Folio from a Haft awrang (Seven thrones) by Jami (d.1492) verso: the Aziz and Zulaykha enter the capital of Egypt and the Egyptians come out to greet them	artist unknown
Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020)	artist unknown
Four Mandala Vajravali Thangka	artist unknown
Four scenes from the life of the Buddha	artist unknown
Goddess Bhadrakali Worshipped by the Gods: from a tantric Devi series	artist unknown
Inkstone box, with scene from Tale of Genji, Chapter 10, with inkstone and water dropper	artist unknown
Ivory Throne Leg	artist unknown
Jahangir and Prince Khuram feasted by Nur Jahan	artist unknown
Jain Shrine, Siddhapratima Yantra	artist unknown
Jar	artist unknown
Large plate	artist unknown
Lidded incense burner in the form of a mountain (boshanlu) with narrative scenes	artist unknown
Lidded ritual wine ewer (huo) in the form of an elephant	artist unknown
Lidded ritual wine ewer (huo) with dragons	artist unknown
Lidded ritual wine ewer in the form of a bird (niao zun)	artist unknown
M Ari Singh Performs Puja in Amar Vilas	artist unknown
Mallet-shaped vase, Guan ware	artist unknown
Mirror with phoenixes, birds, and flowers	artist unknown
Nirvana of the Buddha	artist unknown
One face of a fence-rail from Bharhut: Worship at a Stupa	artist unknown
Page from the Ishiyama-gire (dispersed volumes of the Anthology of the Thirty-Six Poets)	artist unknown
Pair of fittings in the form of tigers	artist unknown
Pair of plaques in the form of tigers	artist unknown
Plate	artist unknown
Quatrefoil box	artist unknown
Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Parvati	artist unknown
Searching for Plum Blossoms in the Snow	artist unknown
Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha	artist unknown
Sheep and Goat	artist unknown
Shiva Nataraja	artist unknown
Shiva Vinadhara (Holder of the Lute)	artist unknown
Two demons, fettered	artist unknown
Western Paradise of the Buddha Amitabha	artist unknown

Artwork Name

Artist Name

Jamshid Writing on a Rock

Abd as-Samad Shirin Qalam

The St. Petersburg Album: Allegorical representation of Emperor Jahangir and Shah

Abu'l

Illustration from a Dictionary (unidentified): Da'ud Receives a Robe of Honor from Mun'im Khan

Attributed to Hiranand

Lotus and Ducks

Bada Shanren

Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St. Petersburg album

Bichitr