Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 26. (Budapest, 2008)

Mária FERENCZY: Chinese Moon Gate on Budapest's Andrássy Avenue. The Garden of Ferenc Hopp, I

NOTES 1 For his life, work and collections see The Man of Buitenzorg Villa. Ferenc Hopp, Globe-Trotter and Art Collector (1833-1919). Ed. Fajcsák, Györgyi - Renner, Zsuzsanna. Budapest, 2008 (hereinafter: Fajcsák Renner 2008). 2 See Gábor, Eszter: 'The Knorr, Later Hopp Villa at 103, Andrássy Street - the Building of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts'. In: Fajcsák Renner 2008, pp. 81-90 (hereinafter: Gábor 2008). 3 Hopp gave a brief account of his visit to the botanical garden in a letter to his employees dated Singapore, 4 December 1882: 'Nach zwei Tagen machten wir einen Ausflug (40 Miles) nach Buitenzorg wurde uns das Schönste und Merkwürdigste vom Direktor des botanischen Gartens gezeigt und erklärt. Mr. Duncam selbst Botaniker, brachte eine Kiste Pflanzen aus Qiieensland, daher diese Liebenswürdigkeit. Nun ich glaube nicht daß ich noch eine grojie Vari tat der Pflanzenwelt sehen werde, was ich mir zu sehen wünschte wurde mir gezeigt, Vanille, Pfeffer, Cacau, die seltensten Palmen u 200 verschiedene Orchideen in 1500 Exemplaren (ein ganzer Wald). Der Garten ist wegen seiner Ausdehnung nicht so rein gehalten, als die Margaretben Insel, aber doch so rein wie die meisten Gärten. Bringe von dort Palmen u Bambus Stocks mit.' Hopp Museum Archive (hereinafter: HMA): A 1468, pp. 11-12. During his last round-the-world trip, he again visited the garden; this is proved by the picturepostcard he sent from Buitenzorg to Aladár Félix, his business manager, on 1 February 1914 (HMA: A 1659/29). Here I should like to thank Barnabás Csongor for his kind help in making out the Gothic script of the letter and the Chinese couplet at the bottom. 4 HMA: A 403 (marked) and the same A 393 (unmarked example). Published in: Ferenczy, Mária Kineses, Károly: Mandarin öszvérháton. Hopp Ferenc fényképei / Mandarin Riding a Mule. Ferenc Hopp and Hungarian Photography. Budapest, 1999, p. 47; Fajcsák -Renner

2008, p. 80 (ill. 41). 5 Determined by Gábor, Eszter: Gábor 2008, p. 80. 6 Hopp Ferencnek, a szeretettfőnöknek ötven éves üzleti tevékenysége emlékére. [Book published in Honour of Ferenc Hopp on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversaey of his Business Career, by his Employees]. N.p., no publisher's imprint, 19 July 1895, 16 pp. (hereinafter: Anniversary album 1895). 7 Anniversary album 1895, p. 8. 8 Zoltán Felvinczi Takács (1880-1964) was an eminent art historian. He advised Ferenc Hopp on art from around 1908 onwards. Later he was the first director of the Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts (from 1919). 9 HMA: A 982/3, p. 2. (The memoirs were committed to paper after 1950.) 10 Géza Györgyi (1851-1934) and Ferenc Hopp had known each other for decades. Györgyi subsequently played a part in designing an extension to the villa. See Gábor 2008, p. 84. 11 Page 8, upper picture on the left side; the reverse side of the Moon Gate can be seen; note that from the path next to the villa the Moon Gate provided a means of entering the garden. 12 Page 10, upper picture on the right side: the reverse side of the Moon Gate; according to the caption, those standing next to it are Ferenc Hopp and Géza Györgyi. 13 Photographs by Ferenc Hopp: HMA: A 855, A 856, A 857 and A 1711/34, photographs by Mór Erdélyi (probably): HMA: N 2089 and N 2090. All six photographs show the front side of the gate. 14 From among numerous fine examples see, for instance, the moon gates at the Yipu Garden in Suzhou and the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai (photographs: Cheng, Liyao: Private Gardens. Ancient Chinese Architecture. Wien - New York, 1999, no. 49 and no. 76). 15 Joseph Haas (1847-1896), representative of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in Shanghai (1883-85: vice-consul; 1885-96: consul); he and Ferenc Hopp became acquainted at Haas's place of posting. An account of this is given in one of Ferenc Hopp's letters (dated Peking, 20 April 1883; HMA: A 1524) and is attested to by presents given by Haas: a signed work by him (Haas, Joseph: Deutsch-Chinesisches Conversationsbuch. Shanghai, 1882), a photograph (HMA: A 274) and a white porcelain tile from Nanking (cf. Fajcsák, Györgyi: White Gold, Mohammedan Blue and Peach Blossom. Catalogue Resonée, Vol. I. Early Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts (DVD). Budapest, 2007, no. 130) (hereinafter: Fajcsák 2007). 16 Joseph Haas's letter of reply to Ferenc Hopp's request in connection with the gate has survived (HMA: A 1671/75): '[...] Bezüglich Ihres Wunsches wegen Materiales zur Anfertigung einer chines. Gartenpforte habe ich mich sofort in Arbeit gesetzt. - Nach den in Ihrer Skizze gegebenen Dimensionen würde die Anschaffung des Materiales wie folgt betragen: Dachziegeln $ 20; Ornamente $ 10; 4 Drachen und 1 Kugel $ 10; 2 Löwen 2'hoch $ 20; Steinplatten A B C $ 20; 1 Buddha $ 30; letzterer ist nur aus Holz zu bekommen 4 Fuss hoch; Schubkarren Modell $ 4. Die Arbeit wird circa 4-5 Wochen in Anspruch nehmen - nachdem das chinesische Neujahr dazwischen kommt. Ich glaube daher spätestens Anfang März die Objecte senden zu können.' 17 No documentation is known concerning its delivery, but with regard to the sending to Hungary of other acquisitions documentation is extant: for example, according to a surviving delivery note, Joseph Haas dispatched three crates of ceramics for