Edmund de Waal’s Netsuke Collection and His Provenance Research
Edmund de Waal (b. 1964) is a contemporary artist, writer, and descendant of the Ephrussi who amassed a magnificent collection of Netsuke (根付). Netsuke is a small Japanese ornament worn by men during the Edo period (1615-1868) as a stopper or substitute for pockets.*①[1] After Japan’s national isolation policy ended in 1853, numerous Netsuke were brought abroad, gaining new value and significance as objects for appreciation. For him, each item in his Netsuke collection holds a special meaning as a repository of his family’s memories and as ‘a symbol of migration’[3]. In his book, The Here with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance (Fig. 1), he recounts his discovery of his family’s Netsuke collection at his great-uncle’s house in Tokyo, which he later inherited. Through his research into the provenance of 264 items secretly passed down over five generations, he realised ‘how objects can evoke histories through touch’.[4]
Objects and Memory: Artistic Approach to the Production of ‘From the Collection of A Private Man’
How objects embody memory – or more particularly, whether objects can hold memories – is a real question for me.
－Edmund de Waal [1]
His focus on objects and memory based on the experiences of the provenance research on his Netsuke collection has been at the core of his artistic practice. One example is his work, From the Collection of A Private Man (2011) (Fig. 2), currently on display at the Sainsbury Centre (SVCA). In my interpretation, this work replicates the experience of viewing Netsuke displays, where the provenance of each object can be hardly seen from glass case but filled with personal significance and memories inside. By placing porcelain, which often used in a daily basis, as a motif and arranging them in groups with the effective use of space, he creates several small narratives, subtly hinting memories attached to each combination. Some pieces are highlighted with exquisite Kintsugi (金継ぎ, ‘Joining with Gold’)*②, which even adds to their beauty and poignancy on the past events that the objects were exposed, evoking tactile sensation in the inaccessible space enclosed by the glass. (Fig. 3 and 4)
De Waal’s works invite us to reflect on the relationship between materiality and objects, and how they can engage in our perception on the past and present. I look forward to exploring more of his beautiful projects and the relevance of his messages to our society in the future.
Notes:
*① The Kimono for men in the Edo period did not come with pockets; only the sleeves of women’s Kimonos had space to hold small belongings.[2]
*② Kintsugi (金継ぎ, ‘Joining with Gold’) is a method and technique to repair broken, chipped or cracked areas of ceramics with a lacquer mixed with powdered gold.
Reference:
[1] Noriko Tsuchiya, Netsuke: 100 Miniature Masterpieces from Japan (London: British Museum, 2014), 8-9.
[2] Ibid, 8.
[3] The Art Newspaper, ‘Edmund De Waal Exclusive Interview, Plus Roma Persecution’, The Art Newspaper Podcasts, November 30, 2018, https://soundcloud.com/theartnewspaperweekly/edmund-de-waal-on-nazi-loot-plus-roma-persecution?si=e273f56bf7964ce1bb60b60419926513&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing.
[4] Edmund de Waal, ‘About – Writing – Writing a Very Personal Book’, Edmund de Waal, 2010, https://www.edmunddewaal.com/writing/the-hare-with-amber-eyes/about.
Related Links:
・Edmund de Waal Official Website: https://www.edmunddewaal.com/
・The Art Newspaper Podcast [Edmund de Waal Exclusive Interview, Plus Roma Persecution]: