Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 2. (Budapest, 1974)

CSEH, Éva: 18th century Japanese netsuke

ÉVA CSEH 18TH CENTURY JAPANESE NETSUKE In the course of the 16th century the decoration of the sword furnishings (tsuba, kozuka hilt etc.) and the Noh-masque marked a new tendency in the development of Japanese plastic art. It is in the 17th century that the netsuke appears, this perhaps most characteristic and effective realization of the plastic art of the age. This new art is the product of the Edo period, born at the same time as some other branches of art. Their main characteristic is that they are democratic, meet mass requirements and are not restrained by traditions. They are animated by the existence of the city bourgeoisie. The circumstances surrounding the development of netsuke

1 are not yet quite clear; it seems certain however, that it originated in China. Several factors had to coincide for it to become a truly Japanese art. The most important ones are that the inrö and the fashion of the tobacco pouch became general. The demand grew, and by the second half of the 18th century a special group of masters became necessary. About this time the Kyoto masters began to form schools and sign their works.From this time on the carving of netsuke became almost a sort of industry, the golden age of which lasted until the first third of the 19th century.

3 The growing interest in netsuke is expressed in the fact that there are more and more handbooks on netsuke from the 50's on. By now netsuke are scattered all over the world and it is difficult to gather more than a dozen of reproductions to the works of the same master or school, from the different publications; thus I feel that all hitherto undocumented collection has special interest. The classification of netsuke is possible from different points of view. In our present survey a simply chronological classification, though rather mechanical, seems to be the most convenient. Our collection consists of about 500 pieces, most of them from the private collection of the founder of the Museum Ferenc Hopp. Some 70 pieces are from the 18th century, mainly after 1750, and more than half of them are signed. There are about a dozen pre-18th century examples, and 40—50 mostly signed, were made at the beginning of the 19th century, the rest still later. In our present work we shall deal with some 18th century pieces worth of special attention. Most of these are signed, some are even the work of famous masters. We 117