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ARCH.2003.30, Rendition: 802777
This is a close-up photograph of a vintage newspaper clipping from the “Tribune (e)” of Lawrence, Massachusetts, dated February 1, 1949. The clipping was distributed by the New England Newsclip Agency in Boston, Mass., and includes circulation data (Circ. 32,876).
The headline reads:
“Reproductions of Burned Art Shown”
The article is datelined CAMBRIDGE, Jan. 31 (P) and reports on Harvard University’s response to the destruction by fire of eleven ancient mural paintings in Japan’s famous Horyuji Monastery’s Golden Hall.
Harvard’s Response: The university placed full-scale reproductions of the destroyed murals on display in the Central Court of the Fogg Museum of Art.
Curator’s Statement: Langdon Warner, curator of the Oriental department, expressed dismay over the loss. He likened the cultural damage to the destruction of Hagia Sophia or the Sistine Chapel in the West.
Harvard’s Hope: Warner stated that Harvard intended the display to convey “sympathy and understanding of the Japanese nation” for the loss of one of the world’s most important historical, religious, aesthetic, and sentimental monuments.
Unique Resource: Warner noted that Harvard possessed the only set of full-scale photographs of the 12 great mural paintings — 11 of which were destroyed. The display included these photographs together with colored reproductions.
Historical Context:
Quote from Warner:
“As an expression of our dismay at this tragedy, the Fogg Museum has arranged a display of the photographs of the Golden Hall and of the 12 mural paintings it contained.”
The article documents a significant moment in cultural preservation history — the tragic 1949 fire at Horyuji (which occurred on January 26, 1949), and Harvard’s immediate, empathetic gesture to preserve visual memory of the lost art. Langdon Warner’s role highlights early Western scholarly appreciation for Japanese cultural heritage.
This clipping serves as a primary source documenting international cultural solidarity and the role museums played in memorializing lost art through documentation and reproduction.
This image is a newspaper clipping from the "New England Newsclip Agency" dated February 1, 1949. The clipping is from the "Tribune (e)" newspaper in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which has a circulation of 32,876. The headline of the article reads "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown."
The article discusses the loss of eleven ancient paintings from the Golden Hall of Japan's famous Horyuji Monastery, caused by fire. Harvard University officials, expressing "dismay" over the loss, placed full-scale reproductions of these paintings on display in the Central Court of the Fogg Museum of Art.
The curator of the Oriental department, Langdon Warner, described the loss to oriental art as significant, comparing it to the loss of well-known Western art structures like Hagia Sophia or the Sistine Chapel. Dr. Warner also expressed hope to convey sympathy and understanding to the Japanese nation regarding the loss of one of the world's most important historical, religious, esthetic, and sentimental monuments.
Harvard is fortunate, according to Dr. Warner, in possessing the only set of full-scale photographs of the 12 great mural paintings in the Golden Hall, the oldest wooden building still standing in the world. The photographs, together with colored reproductions, make up the Harvard display of the 12 paintings, of which 11 were destroyed.
The article also mentions that even the humblest walk of life in Japan knows of the ancient Buddhist monastery, Horyuji, which was the court monastery of Japan in the seventh and eighth centuries, benefiting from the direct patronage of the emperors. The Golden Hall, or Kondo, was the center of worship and has been constantly in the service of the Buddhist church since its construction.
The display at the Fogg Museum, arranged as an expression of the institution's dismay at the tragedy, includes photographs of the Golden Hall and the 12 mural paintings it contained.
This image is of a newspaper clipping from the "Tribune" of Lawrence, Massachusetts, dated February 1, 1949. The article is titled "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown" and discusses the response of Harvard University to the loss of eleven ancient paintings in the Golden Hall of the Horyuji Monastery in Japan due to a fire.
The article mentions that Harvard University officials, expressing "dismay" over the loss, have placed full-scale reproductions of the paintings on display in the Central Court of the Fogg Museum of Art. Langdon Warner, the curator of the Oriental department of the museum, compares the loss to the destruction of the Hagia Sophia or the Sistine Chapel in terms of its significance to Oriental art.
Dr. Warner also notes that Harvard possesses the only set of full-scale photographs of the 12 great mural paintings in the Golden Hall, the oldest wooden building still standing in the world. The photographs, along with colored reproductions, make up the Harvard display of the 12 paintings, of which 11 were destroyed.
The article emphasizes the historical, religious, aesthetic, and sentimental importance of the Horyuji Monastery and the Golden Hall, and highlights Harvard's effort to convey sympathy and understanding to the Japanese nation regarding this significant loss.
The image appears to be a clipping from a newspaper article, likely from the 1940s based on the date mentioned in the text. The clipping contains information about an exhibit at Harvard University displaying reproductions of ancient Japanese Buddhist paintings that were destroyed in a fire at the Golden Hall of the Horyuji Monastery.
Here are the key details from the clipping:
The clipping provides historical context about the significance of the Golden Hall and the Buddhist paintings, as well as the efforts made by Harvard University to honor the lost art through the exhibit.
The image shows a piece of paper with a newspaper clipping attached to it. The clipping is from the New England Newsclip Agency, with the address P.O. Box 2078, Boston 6, Mass., and the phone number HA 6-9297. The clipping is from the Tribune (e) in Lawrence, Mass., with the circulation number 32,876. The clipping is from February 1, 1949.
The headline of the clipping reads "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown." The article is about Harvard University officials expressing dismay over the loss of eleven ancient Buddhist paintings in the Golden Hall, oldest wooden building still standing in the world, in the ancient Buddhist monastery of Horyuji in the ancient capital of Nara, Japan. The Golden Hall was destroyed by fire, and the loss of the paintings is compared to the loss of western art if Hagia Sophia or the Sistine chapel were destroyed.
The article quotes Langdon Warner, curator of the museum, who said that Harvard officials hoped to "convey to the Japanese nation a sense of our sympathy and understanding of the loss of one of the world's most important historical, religious, esthetic and sentimental monuments." Harvard is fortunate to possess the only set of full-scale photographs of the 12 great mural paintings in the Golden Hall, oldest wooden building still standing in the world, with colored reproductions to make up the Harvard display of the 12 of which 11 were destroyed.
The article also mentions that the Golden Hall, or Kondo, was the center of worship in the ancient Buddhist monastery of Horyuji, in the ancient capital of Nara, Japan, and that it was constantly in the service of the Buddhist church since its construction.
The image depicts a printed news article from the New England Newsclip Agency, dated February 1, 1949. The article is titled "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown" and is sourced from the Tribune (e) of Lawrence, Mass., identifying the author as a Democrat representing Circ. 32,876.
Location and Event:
Context of the Display:
Significance of the Golden Hall:
Reactions and Statements:
Visual and Emotional Impact:
Overall, the image captures a moment of cultural preservation, highlighting the efforts to commemorate and display lost art through reproductions, while also expressing the profound loss felt globally due to the destruction of the Horyu-ji Monastery's Golden Hall.
The image is a photograph of an aged newspaper clipping from the "New England Newsclip Agency," dated February 1. The section of the newspaper shown is from the "Tribune (e) LAWRENCE, Mass. Democrat" with a circulation of "Circ. 32,876."
The visible news article is headlined "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown." The article discusses the reaction of Harvard University officials to a fire that destroyed eleven ancient paintings in the Golden Hall of Japan's famous Horyuji Monastery. They expressed dismay and decided to display full-scale reproductions of the burned artworks at the Fogg Museum of Art. It's mentioned that the photographs of the murals and colored reproductions make up the Harvard display, with 11 of the 12 original works having been destroyed.
Dr. Langdon Warner, a curator at the museum's Oriental department, is quoted as recognizing the historical and cultural significance of the loss and making comparisons to Western art. He notes that Harvard is fortunate to have photographs of the paintings and that the display intends to convey sympathy and understanding to the Japanese nation.
The article also describes the historical importance of the Golden Hall, also known as Kondo, as the oldest wooden building in the world and a central location for worship within the Horyuji Monastery, while acknowledging the impact of this tragedy on the cultural heritage and the Buddhist church service. Dr. Warner's quotes suggest that the display of the reproductions is an expression of solidarity with Japan in the face of this cultural loss.
This image is a newspaper clipping sourced from the "New England Newsclip Agency," dated February 1, 1949. It is titled "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown." The article highlights a display at Harvard University's Fogg Museum of Art featuring full-scale reproductions and photographs of 12 mural paintings from the Golden Hall of Japan’s Horyuji Monastery. The original paintings were destroyed by fire, as were 11 out of 12 murals.
The Golden Hall, described as the world’s oldest wooden building, held significant historical, religious, and artistic value. Dr. Langdon Warner, a curator at Harvard’s Oriental Art department, expressed a sense of cultural loss and conveyed Harvard’s intent to share sympathy with Japan. He emphasized the importance of preserving the knowledge of this historic Buddhist structure by showcasing the images, which Harvard possesses in full-scale photographs with colored reproductions. The article concludes with Dr. Warner's comments on the symbolic importance of the display as a gesture of respect and mourning.
This image shows a newspaper clipping from the New England Newsclip Agency with a Tribune (e) Lawrence, Mass. Democrat header, dated February 1, 1949. The article's headline reads "Reproductions of Burned Art Shown."
The article reports that Harvard University officials are expressing dismay over the loss by fire of eleven ancient paintings in the Golden Hall of Japan’s famous Horyuji Monastery. Harvard has placed full-scale reproductions on display in the Central Court of its Fogg Museum of Art as a tribute and to convey sympathy to the Japanese people.
Langdon Warner, curator of the Oriental department at the museum, compares the loss of the Horyuji artwork to what western art would suffer if the Hagia Sophia or Sistine Chapel were destroyed. He emphasizes the importance of the historical, religious, esthetic, and sentimental value of these monuments.
Harvard possesses the only set of full-scale photographs of the 12 great mural paintings in the Golden Hall, the oldest wooden building still standing in the world. The photos and colored reproductions form Harvard's display of the 12 murals, of which 11 were destroyed.
The article also gives some background on Horyuji, an ancient Buddhist monastery in Nara, Japan, built in the seventh and eighth centuries, highlighting its significance and continuous use in Buddhist worship. Dr. Warner mentions that the Fogg Museum arranged the display as an expression of dismay at the tragedy and to honor the lost artwork.