Clearing Out a Mountain Forest
date: label: Date
content: 15th century
label: Period
content: Ming dynasty
name: label: Artist
content: Formerly attributed to Li Song (傳)李嵩 (late 12th-early 13th century)
notes: label: Provenance
content: To 1917
label: Provenance
content: Probably Wanyan Jingxian (circa 1848 - circa 1927-29), Beijing, to 1917 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1917 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), probably purchased from Wanyan Jingxian, through Seaouke Yue (You Xiaoxi) (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, and Pang Lai Chen (Pang Yuanji) (1864-1949), Shanghai, in Detroit in 1917 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] According to Ingrid Larsen, "'Don’t Send Ming or Later Pictures': Charles Lang Freer and the First Major Collection of Chinese Painting in an American Museum," Ars Orientalis vol. 40 (2011), pg. 28 and pg. 38 (notes 146 and 147), Pang Yuanji and Seaouke Yue were paid a commission by Charles Lang Freer for facilitating the sale of five objects (F1917.183- .187) belonging to a "Peking gentleman." Larsen presents evidence and infers that Wanyan Jingxian was likely the unnamed Peking gentleman. See also, Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1178, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
label: Provenance
content: This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history; see Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
label: Exhibition History
content: In Human Form: Images of the Secular and Divine in Chinese Painting (January 31, 1996 to January 7, 1997)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Figure Painting (September 17, 1973 to January 3, 1975)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, North Corridor (February 25, 1956 to November 20, 1969)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 19 (February 25, 1956 to February 4, 1957)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Scrolls (July 19, 1943 to April 30, 1946)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Paintings, 1924 (June 2, 1924 to March 14, 1931)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Wanyan Jingxian (ca. 1848-ca. 1927-29) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: snake
label: Topic
content: Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
label: Topic
content: demon
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: baimiao style
label: Topic
content: folk tales
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1917.184
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 46.7 x 807.4 cm (18 3/8 x 317 7/8 in)