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Special Exhibitions We are pleased to present a selection of fine Japanese netsuke in ivory and wood. The exhibition does not focus on quantity, but rather on the quality of the pieces offered here for sale. There has been many introduction on netsuke written and we thought a new one would not be necessary. The following introduction was written by Makiko Komada, a young Japanese lady with a great passion for netsuke. Her love for netsuke is born from her family since she is the daughter of Master carver Ryushi. Ms. Komada has created a website devoted to the appreciation of netsuke, which can be visited at the following link: http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~komada/. We also invite you to visit the site of the International Netsuke Society which comprises netsuke and Sagemono collectors from all around the world. The International Netsuke Society is devoted to the study and collection of netsuke and related sagemono art forms. Membership in the society, founded in 1975, includes a subscription to its quarterly, 60-page, color, illustrated magazine, the International Netsuke Society Journal. Among the other Society activities are a biennial convention held in the United States and local chapter meetings in the United States, Japan and Europe. There are over 625 society members living in 31 different countries. The Society's website is www.netsuke.org. What is a Netsuke?Japanese people used to hang their everyday articles such as small money pouches, tobacco pouches, and seal or medicine cases (inro) from their sash or belt (obi), because the Japanese traditional garment (kimono) has no pockets. To prevent it from falling to the ground, the hanging object(s) (collectively called sagemono) was attached to a small toggle with a cord. This toggle is called netsuke. In general, the netsuke has the following physical characteristics or requirements: - To serve as a toggle attached to hanging objects, it has a hole or a channel (himotoshi) to put the cord through. - To be worn as an accessory or held in hands, it doesn't (or shouldn't) have parts that can easily be broken or might catch the garment. - To be worn at the waist, it is comparatively small. It is generally about as large as you can hold in your hand, but it could be a bit smaller or larger than that. In early times, netsuke flourished as a part of the ensemble with a small pouch and/or an inro and cord-tightening bead (ojime). Nowadays, many netsuke are exhibited, traded, collected as independent objects, but they were originally attached to sagemono, some sets of which you might also see in museums, private collections, galleries, and publications. History of Netsuke It is not clear as to when netsuke came into use, but some netsuke are depicted in paintings from around the beginning of the 17th century, suggesting that the netsuke was already in use by then. Though the first netsuke were probably simple pieces of wood or whatever was useful as a toggle, it developed into a craft art with great artistry and playful ideas through the Edo period (i.e., from the early 17th century through the mid 19th century). Netsuke in a considerably wide range of subjects and materials were made by thousands of artists; early craftsmen specializing in other fields such as metalwork or sculpture and made netsuke as a hobby, while many of the later carvers devoted all their career to netsuke production. However, around the mid 19th century, the popularity of netsuke started to wane due to the changes in fashion and cultural situations but a relatively small number of netsuke artists continued to create netsuke of high standard through the mid 20th century. From the mid 19th century onwards, westerners became interested in netsuke. A large quantity of those miniature carvings began to be exported to the West. Since then, netsuke have been actively traded, collected, and studied by westerners, while they attracted little attention of the majority of Japanese people. Netsuke made until about that time are called "antique netsuke," while those carved later are referred to as "contemporary netsuke." This latter term means more than just "netsuke made in modern time": some western collectors and dealers have encouraged Japanese artists to create netsuke with their original ideas and modern sense, not just to imitate antique pieces. Recently, the number of netsuke artists have been growing in Japan, and in other countries as well, and there are approximately one hundred Japanese and non-Japanese artists whose works regularly appear in sales and exhibitions. Today, the netsuke, both antique and contemporary, is internationally appreciated as a unique and fascinating art form. At present, it might still be better known in the West, but there is a growing interest among the Japanese (some Japanese actually carry netsuke by attaching them to their cell phones). The netsuke is still evolving, and you can explore this exciting art form by just looking at them, holding them in your hand to enjoy the feel, collecting them, studying them, and even carving them! WINTER/SPRING 2007 AN IMPORTANT GROUP OF CHINESE IMPERIAL GLASS FROM THE GADIENT COLLECTION [click to view collection] During the Qing dynasty, glassmaking came under patronage with the visionary Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) who established an Imperial Glasshouse in 1696 within the precincts of the Forbidden city as part of his extensive Department of Imperial Artwork Studios. The Studios supplied the highest quality objects for the Imperial families, court, diplomatic gifts and tribute wares. The golden age of glassmaking occurred during the 18th century and continued during the 19th century. Qing glass was worked with many different techniques and combinations of colors. An object would be blown, molded, or carved from a block with the same approach to jade lapidary. Over thirty colors were registered in the Palace records and yellow was the Qing imperial color, making it the most popular of the monochromes. Glassmakers continued to emulate the colors and textures to imitate other hardstones such as jade or ruby, the favorite color of Emperor Qianlong (1735 - 1796). The present exhibition comprises eleven of these masterworks from one of the largest and finest collection of Chinese glass in the world, all of which were made especially for Imperial use. The inspiration for this exceptional collection began some 35 years ago when Sandford Gadient visited Hog Kong and purchased an exquisite pair of Imperial yellow Peking Glass vases at an exclusive antiques shop in the Oriental Hotel. The collection built steadily over the years until the present time and, to this date, Sandford and Ina Gadient are still actively collecting. Overall they have patiently assembled well over 500 pieces of Peking Glass, many with reign marks or attributable to the Imperial Workshop. In response to many requests to display the collection a first exhibit was held, some 12 years ago, at The Lentz Center for Asian Culture at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Subsequent exhibits (were held in Florida where the Gadients live) at the Asiantiques Gallery in Winter Park, the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art and The Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. In addition to exhibiting over hundred different examples of their Peking Glass in these museums, the Gadients have generously donated pieces of Peking Glass to the permanent collection of a number of museums in the United States, among others the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, the Omaha Art Museum, the Honolulu Art Academy, the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, the Richard Smart Residence, Parker Ranch in Kamuela, Hawaii, the Peacock Asian Art Museum in Rochester, NY and the New Orleans Museum of Art. This year a comprehensive exhibition catalog is being prepared featuring over 300 examples of Chinese Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Peking Glass from the Gadients collection. This exhibition is expected to visit a number of the leading museums in this country between 2008 and 2011. Since the anticipated expenses for preparing the catalog and transporting the exhibition between museums are very high we have suggested to the Gadients to partially fund this philanthropic endeavor through the sale of several of their finer pieces and they have accepted to do so. During the last few years mark and period pieces of Peking Glass have become more and more difficult to locate while the demand has grown rapidly with the tremendous expansion of the Chinese economy. At each of their sales the main international auction houses hardly have any for sale. Therefore we are extremely pleased, at this time, to have available for purchase the following rare examples of museum quality mark and period pieces of Peking Glass from The Ina and Sandford Gadient collection.WINTER/SPRING 2006 SELECTED SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE COLLECTION OF KENNETH GREENSTEIN [click to view collection] About the Collector Ken
Greenstein is a New York attorney, recently retired as a partner from the law
firm of Nixon Peabody LLP in Manhattan. He has been a long time collector of
Chinese Snuff Bottles and Scholars Objects. In Ken's mind both collections
are closely tied together. This is why he has always tried to acquire
bottles which would have attracted Chinese scholars, systematically searching in
particular for those characterized by simplicity of forms, materials or colors.
Since 1985 Ken has purchased numerous snuff bottles from Asiantiques.
Throughout the years he has grown to become a good friend and a great
collector.
Chinese snuff bottles are the equivalent to snuff boxes in Europe and were manufactured throughout the entire Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Tobacco was brought to China by the Europeans from the Americas at the end of the 16th century and the first part of the 17th century. Tobacco ground into a very fine powder, known as snuff, and eventually enhanced with flowers, spices or herbs (mint, jasmine, camphor, roses, etc.), was sniffed into the nostrils. Its use seems to have spread slowly during the last part of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century but developed tremendously after Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) declared it fashionable for himself and for his court. The Chinese, even more than the Europeans, believed that tobacco inhaled in the form of snuff had medicinal qualities and could cure colds, indigestion or other illnesses. Emperor Qianlong took snuff for his headaches. The Chinese therefore first used medicinal bottles to store the snuff. Furthermore, The European snuff boxes were unfit because the warm and humid climate in China caused the snuff to cake and lose its fine texture. Those medicinal bottles were first adapted by adding a small spoon attached to the cork and the top for measuring a small amount of snuff. Progressively the shape of the bottles (cylindrical at first) evolved into many different types as their size was adapted to their uses. Men would carry regular bottles (mostly 2 1/2" to 3 1/4"), ladies would have small bottles (1 1/4" to 2 1/4") and table bottles would reach up to 5" or 6". Some people liked to carry twin bottles and, but rarely, multiple bottles in order to enjoy various aromas. Snuff developed into a habit mainly appreciated by the emperor and his courtesans. Therefore, the snuff bottles soon became small, precious objects and their use gave way to the development of a very precise "etiquette" for taking and sniffing the tobacco, as well as which type of bottle to use at what precise time. Jade and porcelain were used in winter, glass and agate in spring, bamboo in summer and so on. The snuff bottles were also used as gifts or to buy favors of officials. The production of snuff bottles was done by workshops, some of which, using the most skilled workers, were established in the imperial palace by Emperor Kangxi and his successors, Emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong. Several workers were involved in the production of a snuff bottle. The apprentices would cut the stone and start to shape the bottle; specialists would hollow the cavity (a very important task), then others would polish it. The most skilled workers were the ones who would create the decoration. Almost any material was used, from the most precious, like jade, to the most modest, like bamboo. Glass was a prime material for the manufacture of snuff bottles. It was either molded, blown or carved. It was appreciated both for itself and for its capacity to imitate other materials, such as precious or semi-precious stones. Jadeite and nephrite snuff bottles are among the most desirable. At first the Chinese were very satisfied with glass and stone bottles and it is only during the Jiaqing reign (1796-1820) at the beginning of the 19th century that the production of porcelain bottles developed and probably reached its peak. The production was interrupted after 1912 but started again, as is officially acknowledged, in mainland China after 1949. |
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