Netsuke by Katchen Arlette (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. English text.; Hardcover (leather without dust jacket in slipcase).; 21 x 32 cm.; 5.2 kg.; 928 pages with colour illustrations.; Volume I ISBN 978-2-9535690-0-1, 320 pages; Volume II ISBN 978-2-9535690-1-8, 464 pages.; Volume III ISBN 978-2-9535690-2-5, 144 pages.; Used with minor signs of wear on the exterior and interior. The slipcase show minor scuffs and scratches. The hardcover volumes shows also minor scuffs and scratches. Two small scratches on the front cover of volume 2. Interior also with minor signs of wear.; Minor wear mark on the first page of volume I.; "After the death of Julius Katchen in 1969, I found myself with 729 netsukes numbered chronologically in the order of their acquisition. I decided to categorise them and did so by subjects: 24 dogs. 15 birds, it did not make sense. I then organised them by school, retaining the subjects within each school under general classification: fauna, flora, human, legend, object and mask. It was a Herculean task (with pencils and coloured pens, computers were not available then) but the result was satisfying. Curiosity took over as I began to wonder what the "old" collectors really possessed, the blessed ones who could afford to buy shiploads of Asian art at the turn of the century, or a whole collection as was the case with M.T. Hindson. My choice was guided by certain author-connoisseurs in whom I placed my trust: Michael Tomkinson: two volumes on his huge collection in 1908; Alfred Brockhaus: a German encyclopaedist, author of the first serious study on netsukes in 1909; Neil K. Davey: a book on the Hindson collection of netsukes 1974; Marie-Therese Coullery and Martin Newstead: a book on the netsukes of the Baur collection in 1977; Henry Joly: catalogue of the Walter Behrens collection in 1913; Henry Joly: catalogue of the Seymour Trower collection in 1913. I applied my system of classification and went through the six collections (three completed before 1914). Baur started in 1920, Hindson in 1950, Katchen in 1953. The result was quite surprising and I wanted to share it with the netsuke's lovers, the ones who fall in love with a piece, spend sleepless nights wondering how they can acquire it and when it becomes theirs, fondle it, study it from all angles, deriving infinite pleasure and satisfaction from it. The title: "Netsuke 7" is an allusion to the seven collections that are at the core of this study." foreword.; "The book is divided into chapters, each dedicated to one school, the chapters themselves are subdivided by subjects: FAUNA, FLORA, HUMAN and LEGEND, OBJECTS and MASKS. For example. FAUNA into ZODIAC, ANIMALS (real imaginary), BIRDS, FISH (and all sea and water creatures), INSECTS. I have condensed and transcribed all the facts about the seven collections into charts which I hope are easily readable. Each netsuke's picture is accompanied by a very short notice describing it, the pictures are far more explicit than words! There is a list of all the artists who carved the subjects illustrated (specified in Ivory or wood). And on the left-hand side of each page there is a column recapitulating the numbers of pieces in each collection. Most of the netsukes illustrated are KATABORI unless otherwise mentioned." introductory text.