Charles Lang Freer acquired this screen—and its counterpart on the other side—in a reverse order of their sequence of production. This ghostly image, a now-faded rendering on a silver ground, is the earlier work and was Freer’s second purchase. It is considerably damaged and partially illegible. Even in skeletal form, however, it expresses a vitality that is somewhat lacking in the subdued and more uniform later work.
Coxcombs, Maize, and Morning Glories
Sōtatsu school
Japan, 1568–1615
Two-panel screen
Color and silver on paper
Freer Gallery of Art, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.142