Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 23. (Budapest, 2004)

Györgyi FAJCSÁK: Bertalan Hatvány, an unknown Connoisseur of Oriental Art

Separatum. In: Izraelita Magyar Irodalmi Társaság Évkönyve 1933, p. 11) 21 Information from the correspondence between Bertalan Hatvány and Zoltán Felvinczi Takács; Archives of the Hopp Museum, A.2550/L 22 Hatvány, Bertalan: Ázsia lelke [The Spirit of Asia]. Franklin, Budapest, n.d. (1935); (hereafter: Hatvány (1935)). He dedicated the book: "To Akiba, priest of Buda, 'prince of the Jews', in commemoration of his five-hundredth anniversary." 23 Hatvány (1935), pp.7,9 24 Okakura Kakuzo (1863-1913) was a dedicated apostle of the traditional art of Japan. Together with the American art-critic Ernest F. Fenollosa (1853-1908) he attempted to direct the attention of his countrymen to the values of traditional Japanese art. Amongst his influential works, published in English, were The Ideals of the East (1903), and The Awakening of Japan (1904). 25 For how the book was received, see Sári, László: Ázsia hasznáról. Hatvány Bertalan, az orientalista [On the uses of Asia. Bertalan Hatvány, the orientalist]. In: A Hatványok emlékezete, Hatvány Lajos Múzeum Füzetek 18. Ed.: Horváth, László, Hatvan, 2003, pp.33^12 26 Felvinczi Takács, Zoltán: Hopp Ferenc emlékkiállítás. 1933. Nagy Ázsia művészete [Ferenc Hopp Commemorative Exhibition. 1933. The Art of Greater Asia]. Hopp Ferenc Kelet-Ázsiai Művészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 1933 27 Hatvány (1935): pp.444-445 28 József Attila: Ázsia lelke [The Spirit of Asia]. In: Szép Szó, 1936/4. pp.70-71 2

" Hatvány, Bertalan: Konfuciitszlól Nehémiásig [From Confucius to Nehemiah]. Budapest, 1936 30 Hatvány, Bertalan: A kínai kérdés története (The History of the China Question]. Világesemények 2., Pantheon Kiadás, Budapest, 1938 31 Vezér, Erzsébet: Mecénások alkonya [The twilight of the art-patron]. In: Elet és Irodalom, 1980/31., p. 6; Vezér, Erzsébet: Hatvány 80 éves [Hatvány at 80]. In: Elet és Irodalom, 1980/21. p.7 ,2 Tibor Horváth qualified as an archaeologist from the Péter Pázmány University, Budapest. In 1936 he worked as a technical editor on the journal Szép Szó. From May 1939 he worked as an assistant at the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Oriental Art, initially in an honorary capacity, later with salary. In May 1941 he went to Japan on a cultural exchange scholarship, and he was able to return home only in 1948. Cf. Magyar Múzeumi Arcképcsarnok [Portraits of Hungarian Museum Staff]. Eds.: Bodó, Sándor and Viga. Gyula. Pulszky Társaság - Tarsoly Kiadó, Budapest, 2002. p. 400 (entry written by Dr. Mária Ferenczy). 33 Vámos 1980 34 Archives of the Hopp Museum preserves 17 letters under the reference L.

2548-2564. Of these, 13 are letters which Hatvány wrote during his Asian travels of 1938-39. 33 "... Bertalan Halvány [and others] could see that war was inevitable; and, judging that they were in danger, decided to go into exile - which they thought would be only temporary." Fejtő, Ferenc (with Zeke, Gyula): Magyarság, zsidóság [Hungarians, Jews]. História Könyvtár Monográfiák 14, MTA Történettudományi Intézete, Budapest, 2000, p.223 34 On the basis of his service in the Foreign Legion, Hatvány would have been entitled to claim French citizenship. However he never made use of this right. 37 N. La Chaise, ( 1914-); See Gudenus 1990, Vol. I. p. 113 38 For this phase of his life we have very little information. We know however that he was the founder of the Martinovics Lodge of Freemasons in Paris. See Gudenus 1990, Vol. I. p. 113 " Hatvány, Bertalan: Az Út és az Ige könyve: a Tao-Te King. Látóhatár, München, 1957; second, revised edition: Lao-tze: Az út és az ige könyve: A Tao-Te King. Új Látóhatár, München, 1977 40 Vámos 1980 41 Barát, Béla; Éber, László; Takács, Zoltán: A művészet története [The History of Art]. Világirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1926; see also the bibliographic material in Hatvány (1935): and the list of the bibliographic material which was transferred to Pélpusztá in 1944: Jegyzőkönyv a hatvani HatvanyDeutsch kastélyból Pélpusztára, a Földbérlő Részvénytársaság épületébe mentett tárgyakról, 1944. október 12. Zár alá vétetett Csánky Dénes által [Record of the objects rescued from the Hatvany-Deutsch residence and transferred to the Land Rental Co. Ltd. building in Pélpusztá, 12 October 1944. Sealed by Dénes Csánky. Manuscript. (Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest, Restitution Section.) Bertalan Hatvány was one of the owners of the listed objects. 42 Felvinczi Takács, Zoltán and Csányi, Károly: Keleti művészeti kiállítás [Exhibition of Oriental Art]. Magyar Gyűjtők és Művészetkedvelők Egyesülete [Association of Hungarian Art-Collectors and Connoisseurs]. Catalogue. Budapest, 1929 (hereafter: Csányi-Felvinczi Takács 1929) 43 Tu-Kwei was a so-called "Earth-spirit". (This example was in fact not from the Wei but the Tang dynasty - Gy.F.) "Tu-kuei, the spirit of the earth in these figures is identified with Yama, the king of the Buddhist Lower World. There also is no lack of secular figures: we encounter in stiffer and more dignified form the noblemen and ladies of the imperial court of the Wei-dynasty. It is surprising how individual and expressive some of these figures are. Dogs, horses, camels parade before our eyes in lively fashion; we also meet warriors, servants, barbarians and musicians. The varied statuettes of the Tang-dynasty are one of the most attractive group of art-objects." Hatvány (1935) p.

270 44 This piece has in fact five figures; it is from the Song dynasty, 12— 14"

1 centuries. - Gy.F. 4

' Géber, Antal: Magyar gyűjtők. I—II. [Hungarian Collectors. I-II]. Manuscript, Archive of the Hungarian National Gallery, 23408/1993; Part I, p.153 (hereafter: Géber 1993) 46 Csányi-Felvinczi Takács 1929, Nos. 333, 337, 607 47 Csányi-Felvinczi Takács 1929, Nos. 629, 630, 642, 645,661,662, 620 4X Archives of the Hopp Museum A.

2548/1-2 L 4

" Archives of the Hopp Museum A.

2549 L 5

" Archives of the Hopp Museum A. 2550 L " In Delhi in January 1939 he met with Schwaiger, who sent certain items as gifts to the Ferenc Hopp Museum. Hatvány informed Felvinczi Takács that Schwaiger was