Charles Goddard Weld
Encyclopedia
Charles Goddard Weld was a Boston-area physician, sailor, philanthropist, and art lover. Weld, a resident of Brookline, Massachusetts
and a scion of the Welds
of that area, practiced surgery for many years, but ultimately gave it up to manage his family's fortune. He made major contributions to two museums in Greater Boston
:
for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
. The museum is now home to one of the finest and largest collections of Japanese art outside Japan, numbering over 100,000 objects.
In 1886, Weld attempted to sail around the world in his personal yacht. However, while moored in Yokohama
, the yacht caught fire and was destroyed. As a result, Weld spent an extended amount of time with his Bostonian friends William Sturgis Bigelow
and Ernest Fenollosa. The pair had already been in Japan for some time themselves, exploring the country and collecting art.
The Fenollosa-Weld Collection contains many of the most famous pieces in the Museum of Fine Arts' collection. Among them is a handscroll painting (emaki) depicting the 1159 Night Attack on the Sanjō Palace
. Others are famous pieces by Sesshū, Kanō Eitoku
, and Kanō Hōgai
.
While Fenollosa and Bigelow developed very widespread and inclusive tastes in art during their time in Japan, Weld's interests remained somewhat narrowly focused. His primary interests in life were sport, boating, and martial activities such as archery. As a result, he became one of the first Americans to collect Japanese swords, spears, and other martial implements as art. In addition to full swords, Weld purchased many sword ornaments, handguards (tsuba), and other sword fittings such as kozuka, tiny blades tied to a swordhilt and used by the samurai for basic utilitarian tasks.
In 1911, the collections of Ernest Fenollosa and Charles G. Weld, much of it already physically in the Museum of Fine Arts, on loan indefinitely, became the property of the Museum, as the Fenollosa-Weld Collection.
. Included among these are 110 photographs that premier American
photographer Edward S. Curtis
made for his 1905-1906 exhibit. Clark Worswick, curator of photography for the museum, describes them as:
The 14" by 17" prints are each unique and remain in pristine condition.
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
and a scion of the Welds
Weld family
The Weld family is an extended family of Boston Brahmins most remembered for the philanthropy of its members. The Welds have many connections to Harvard University, the Golden Age of Sail, the Far East , the history of Massachusetts, and American history in general.William Weld, former Governor of...
of that area, practiced surgery for many years, but ultimately gave it up to manage his family's fortune. He made major contributions to two museums in Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
:
Museum of Fine Arts Contributions
Weld is well known for his purchase and donation of the collection of Ernest FenollosaErnest Fenollosa
Ernest Francisco Fenollosa was an American professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University...
for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
. The museum is now home to one of the finest and largest collections of Japanese art outside Japan, numbering over 100,000 objects.
In 1886, Weld attempted to sail around the world in his personal yacht. However, while moored in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, the yacht caught fire and was destroyed. As a result, Weld spent an extended amount of time with his Bostonian friends William Sturgis Bigelow
William Sturgis Bigelow
William Sturgis Bigelow was an American physician and collector of Japanese art. He was one of the first Americans to live in Japan , and to introduce the American public to Japanese art and culture...
and Ernest Fenollosa. The pair had already been in Japan for some time themselves, exploring the country and collecting art.
The Fenollosa-Weld Collection contains many of the most famous pieces in the Museum of Fine Arts' collection. Among them is a handscroll painting (emaki) depicting the 1159 Night Attack on the Sanjō Palace
Siege of Sanjo Palace
The Siege of the Sanjō Palace was the primary battle of the 1159 Heiji Rebellion. In early January of 1160, after Taira no Kiyomori left Kyoto on a family pilgrimage, Fujiwara no Nobuyori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo saw an opportunity to effect changes they sought in the government...
. Others are famous pieces by Sesshū, Kanō Eitoku
Kano Eitoku
was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history and one of the most prominent patriarchs of the Kanō school of Japanese painting...
, and Kanō Hōgai
Kano Hogai
was a 19th century Japanese painter of the Kanō school. One of the last of the Kanō painters, Hōgai's works reflect the deep traditions of the school, but also at times show hints of experimentation with Western methods and styles...
.
While Fenollosa and Bigelow developed very widespread and inclusive tastes in art during their time in Japan, Weld's interests remained somewhat narrowly focused. His primary interests in life were sport, boating, and martial activities such as archery. As a result, he became one of the first Americans to collect Japanese swords, spears, and other martial implements as art. In addition to full swords, Weld purchased many sword ornaments, handguards (tsuba), and other sword fittings such as kozuka, tiny blades tied to a swordhilt and used by the samurai for basic utilitarian tasks.
In 1911, the collections of Ernest Fenollosa and Charles G. Weld, much of it already physically in the Museum of Fine Arts, on loan indefinitely, became the property of the Museum, as the Fenollosa-Weld Collection.
Peabody Essex Museum Contributions
Weld also made major contributions to the Peabody Essex MuseumPeabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...
. Included among these are 110 photographs that premier American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis
Edward Sheriff Curtis was a photographer of the American West and of Native American peoples.-Early life:...
made for his 1905-1906 exhibit. Clark Worswick, curator of photography for the museum, describes them as:
"...Curtis' most carefully selected prints of what was then his life’s work...certainly these are some of the most glorious prints ever made in the history of the photographic medium. The fact that we have this man’s entire show of 1906 is one of the minor miracles of photography and museology."
The 14" by 17" prints are each unique and remain in pristine condition.