Vezető a Déri Múzeum kiállításaihoz (Debrecen, 1978)

English Summary

and art of the whole world. A more serious collection and investigation of the Asian art began in Europe in the second half of the 19th century and Deri's collecting activity joined this movement. The present staff of the museum improves the oriental collection according to the founder's wish. The exhibition displayes the majority of the collection grouping them as to which countries and artistic form they belong. The Far-Eastern silks and ceramics displayed at the entrance reminds us, at the same time, of the fact, that the products of these two inventions of Chinese origin, and artistic forms were popular even in the antiquities and the Middle Ages and that they found their way to the West. In vitriné 2. to the right there are white-glazed ceramical figures (blanc de Chine) of excellent quality from Tehua. The design riches of the old Chinese imperial costumes are revived by the embroidered silk robe. The two embroidered coverlets representing elephants are also from China. On the left side of the hall Chinese bonze statuettes can be seen. They form Taoist, Confucionist and Buddhist divinities and persons. The best of them are the statue of Lao Tzu, the founder of the Taoist philosophy, sitting on a buffalo represented as the God of Life, the meditating Buddha and the statue of Kuan-yin, the God of Mercy. The Chinese cloisonne enamels are represented by a brilliant ram-figured pot, holding a vase, from the 18th century. The painted and enamelled vases and boxes of Canton are from South China. The next vitriné shows the excellent pieces of the Chinese ivory and semi precious stone carving. The two outstanding works here are the ivory figure representing a Chinese philosopher and a pi-disc, the symbol ot the sky, carved out of the extraordinarily hard jade-stone. Among the Japanese utensils used during the tea-rite the most important are the ceramical ones: tea-cups, tea and sweets containers. Under them export chinas, painted red and gold, originating from Kutani, can be seen. In the two next vitrines one can see Japanese bronze objects: vases, a mirror, a candlestick and water-droppings pots. From the figurái pieces the figure of Hotei (the God of Fortune), represented together with his sack, stands out. In the next vitriné pieces of art from Mongolia can be seen, mainly lamaistic-Buddhist presentings. A church thanks pictures the godess Green Tara. Among the gilded bronze statuettes the best ones are the presentings of tutulary gods Beg-tse and Sridevi. The Islamic art-craft is represented by Persian ceramics, carved copper pots, enamelled coffee-cups and a hookah. The silver inlaid Bidri metalworks belong to the special artform of the Indian industry-craft. On the right side of the hall you can see Japanese ivory carvings: the figurái netsuke carvings attached to the girdle of the kimono, some okimonos and figurines. The outstanding carvings are again the figure of Hotei, the God of Fortune and the lion-masked group. In the first Japanese lac-vitrine various kinds of finary-boxes and medicine keeping inros (attached to the girdle with the netsuke carvings) can be seen. The nicest of them is an inro box, made by one of the masters of the 410