Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 10. (Budapest, 1991)

Új szerzemények 1987-1989 - Hopp Ferenc Kelet-Ázsiai Művészeti Múzeum

Csapek, Mr. and Mrs. József Herendi, and Mr. Dénes Jankó. Of these persons Mr. Károly Csapek, a former designer at the Herend porcelain factory, is especially worthy of mention. The collection of Buddhist art he bequeathed to the museum contains, among other items, twenty-seven bronze statuettes (mostly gilded), representing deities of the Lamaist pantheon. Most of these date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and came partly from China, partly from Tibet, Mongolia or Nepal. Originating in a variety of places and representing several different artistic styles, all are rather fine specimens. By means of this collection even the original, internationally-known stock of Lamaist sculptures held in our museum (these were donated in the 1930s by Mr. Imre Schwaiger, a Hungarian art dealer in Delhi) has been enriched considerably. In what follows, some outstanding pieces from among these new acquisitions are presented, namely statuettes of a peaceful and a wrathful deity respectively from the Csapek collection, a Japanese coloured print and a miniature carving from Mr, Jankó's Eastern Asiatic collection (which embraced a wide variety of artistic genres), and a carved wooden equestrian statue from the collection of Burmese art bequeathed by Mr. and Mrs. Herendi. I would like to take this opportunity to express our great gratitude to all the donors not mentioned by name. (Mária Ferenczy) 1. Two ladies (a pair of statuettes) Ivory carving. China. 18th century. Height 16.3 cm, diameter of base: 4 cm. Inv. no. 89.54.1-2. (Purchase) One of the standing female figures holds a scroll in her hand with the picture of a flowery twig, the other holds nine books heaped upon one another in her hands. These were probably two pieces of a group of statues, attendant figures of a larger statue, perhaps of a Taoist deity. The flowing robes which fit closely to the slender figures carved flat form also the base of the statuettes. Their costume, which conforms to the Chinese female dress between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, consists of two parts: beneath is worn an undergarment which reaches to the ground, on top of it is a robe with ample folds reaching to the ankles. The lapel of the robe is closed symmetrically in a wide bow, the breast is covered by a piece of the robe tucked inwards and is held together under the chin by two hooks. The sleeves are long, loose and plaited; the bodice is held together by a broad sash and a girdle of string. (This is a costume for autumn and winter.) The hair of the ladies reaches down their backs to waist level ; from the back and from both sides it is combed upwards into a knot and held together there by three bodkins. Both ladies wear earrings. The elongated, somewhat flat figures and the finely formed plaiting of the robes follow the traditional style of earlier ivory carvings. On the basis of the less ethereal body proportions and the somewhat individualized faces and hairstyles, however, they may be dated to the eighteenth century. This assumption is in line with the age of the ivory itself from which the figures were carved, using a rather simple technique. The picture roll in the hand of one of the ladies is slightly damaged. ( Györgyi Fajcsák ) 2. Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) A page from the series "Forty-eight Usages of Everyday Life" Coloured wood-block print on paper. Japan, 1846. Inv.no. 87.6. (Gift of Mr. Dénes Jankó) A sitting female figure leans with her left hand on a sewing-box, holding a white kerchief in her right hand. A rule leans