Search

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

About arrow_back

Admission for everyone is always free! Check here for current hours and more.

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

Collections arrow_back

The Johnson Museum holds more than 40,000 works in its collection from around the world.

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

Exhibitions arrow_back

Check out what’s on view this season at the Museum and look back through our history.

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

Events arrow_back

Free events for everyone, plus special programs for students, families, and more!

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

Learn arrow_back

The Johnson Museum actively contributes to the intellectual life of our campus and community.

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

Support arrow_back

Help the Johnson Museum continue its legacy by making a gift today.

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

2 of 2

Winckworth Allan Gay

(American, 1821–1910)

A Japanese Fancy

View All Works

Object Details

Artist

Winckworth Allan Gay

Date

1868

Medium

Oil on canvas in original frame

Dimensions

Oval canvas: 23 3/4 × 19 inches (60.3 × 48.3 cm)
Frame: 31 3/4 × 28 inches (80.6 × 71.1 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired through the Evalyn Milman, Class of 1960, and Stephen Milman, Class of 1958, MBA 1959, Fund

Object
Number

2015.019

Allan Gay, as he called himself, studied in Paris with the Barbizon painter Constant Troyon, returni(…)

Allan Gay, as he called himself, studied in Paris with the Barbizon painter Constant Troyon, returning to the United States in 1851, and for the next twenty years he painted New England landscapes in a Barbizon style. A Japanese Fancy, a still life created during this period, is an anomaly within his oeuvre. Most likely he would have been aware of the growing interest in Japanese art and artifacts that was seeping into Boston but it wasn’t until almost a decade later that he traveled to Japan himself—the first American painter to set up residency there. He admired the landscape and painted it much as he had New England, writing to his brother, “Japan is a lovely country. . . . Its trees are magnificent, its mountains graceful and lovely in outline, its broad valleys full of cultivation . . . No people love nature as much as the Japanese do.” (“JapanAmerica: Points of Contact, 1876–1970,” curated by Nancy E. Green and presented at the Johnson Museum August 27–December 18, 2016)

Create an account

Please take a moment to fill your information to create your account.

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Save Artwork

Save the artwork in any of your exhibitions or create a new one.

You have not made any exhibitions.

Create New Exhibition

Create New Exhibition