Difference between revisions of "William Sturgis Bigelow"
(Created page with " William Sturgis Bigelow was one of a handful of prominent New Englanders to travel to Japan in the Meiji period, and to bring back objects which would form the cores of ...") |
|||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | [[File:Bigelow-homyoin.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Bigelow's grave at [[Homyo-in|Hômyô-in]] in [[Otsu|Ôtsu]]. Bigelow has another grave in Boston, Mass.]] | ||
| + | *''Born: [[1850]]'' | ||
| + | *''Died: 1926'' | ||
| + | William Sturgis Bigelow was one of a handful of prominent New Englanders to travel to Japan in the [[Meiji period]], and to bring back objects which would form the cores of New England's major museum collections of Japanese art. | ||
| − | + | Bigelow was born to a wealthy Boston family, and attended Harvard University, graduating in [[1874]]. After meeting [[Edward Sylvester Morse]] and having Morse stay with him for roughly one month, he traveled with Morse in [[1882]] to Japan. Bigelow would stay in Japan for seven years, during which time he collected roughly 40,000 objects of Japanese art. Following his return to the United States, he donated these objects to the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], contributing alongside Morse, [[Ernest Fenollosa]], and a few others, to the establishment of that museum's extensive collection, the largest collection of Japanese works under one roof anywhere in the world. | |
| − | Bigelow | + | Bigelow spent time, alongside Fenollosa, at [[Homyo-in|Hômyô-in]], a branch temple of [[Miidera]] in [[Otsu|Ôtsu]], just outside Kyoto. In [[1885]], the head priest of the temple, [[Sakurai Keitoku]], granted the two Buddhist monastic names. Following his death in 1926, Bigelow was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts, but a grave for him also stands alongside Fenollosa's at Hômyô-in. |
{{stub}} | {{stub}} | ||
| Line 10: | Line 14: | ||
*Takayasu Fuji, "[http://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/wordpress/provenance-of-okinawan-artifacts-in-the-united-states/ Provenance of Okinawan Artifacts in the United States]," ''American View'', 23 Jan 2008. | *Takayasu Fuji, "[http://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/wordpress/provenance-of-okinawan-artifacts-in-the-united-states/ Provenance of Okinawan Artifacts in the United States]," ''American View'', 23 Jan 2008. | ||
| − | [[Category:Foreigners]] | + | [[Category:Foreigners|Bigelow]] |
| − | [[Category:Meiji Period]] | + | [[Category:Meiji Period|Bigelow]] |
Latest revision as of 15:45, 21 January 2026
- Born: 1850
- Died: 1926
William Sturgis Bigelow was one of a handful of prominent New Englanders to travel to Japan in the Meiji period, and to bring back objects which would form the cores of New England's major museum collections of Japanese art.
Bigelow was born to a wealthy Boston family, and attended Harvard University, graduating in 1874. After meeting Edward Sylvester Morse and having Morse stay with him for roughly one month, he traveled with Morse in 1882 to Japan. Bigelow would stay in Japan for seven years, during which time he collected roughly 40,000 objects of Japanese art. Following his return to the United States, he donated these objects to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, contributing alongside Morse, Ernest Fenollosa, and a few others, to the establishment of that museum's extensive collection, the largest collection of Japanese works under one roof anywhere in the world.
Bigelow spent time, alongside Fenollosa, at Hômyô-in, a branch temple of Miidera in Ôtsu, just outside Kyoto. In 1885, the head priest of the temple, Sakurai Keitoku, granted the two Buddhist monastic names. Following his death in 1926, Bigelow was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts, but a grave for him also stands alongside Fenollosa's at Hômyô-in.
References
- Takayasu Fuji, "Provenance of Okinawan Artifacts in the United States," American View, 23 Jan 2008.
