This ‘Netsuke, tiny toggles tell fabulous stories’ from the ‘The Becker Collection’ contains the private collection of 216 netsuke and okimono netsuke-style, acquired over a period of approximately 50 years. The collection reflects the personal taste of the Beckers. The world of netsuke is fascinating, not only because of the excellent craftmanship and artistry, but also because of the fascinating stories that underly the choice of subjects by the carvers. The latter has been the main motive to collect these tiny toggles with their fabulous background stories. The Beckers have chosen to organize the catalogue based on the historical evolution of netsuke a part of the sagemono, in a society with a gradual uprise of welfare causing levelling of the ruling hierarchy. Hence, we recognize an early period, up to the late 18th century, a transitional period, late 18th / early 19th century, a middle period, 19th century up till the Meiji era, and a late period, Meiji and beyond, including contemporary netsuke and okimono netsuke-style. Each object has been photographed extensively together with signatures when present. A brief description of each object is provided, together with relevant background information about the subject matter. An essay ‘Netsuke in historical perspective’ accompanies the catalogue.
Gerelateerde producten
kunst
Ton & Mies Becker
Twentieth Century Modernisms in Balinese Wood Carvings
'The Becker Collection - Twentieth century modernisms in Balinese wood carving' contains the private collection of twentieth century ?modern style? Balinese wood carvings, collected by Ton and Mies Becker, both retired medical specialists and collectors of Asian art. Between the 8th and 10th century Hindu influences spread to Bali and blended into the exiting Balinese mix of animistic and Buddhist styles and subjects, known as Bali Aga. Hence, in due time the craftsmen obtained the subjects for their works from the Hindu-Balinese religion and their heroes and demons from famous Hindu epics. This particular style became known in the Western art world as the ?Traditional or Old Balinese style?. In the 20th century the arts and crafts scene in Bali changed completely. First because of Western artist who visited Bali and stayed on to work there and, second, because of the gradual influx of increasing numbers of foreign tourists. In addition the Dutch colonial government started a military campaign to control the powerful kingdoms of central and southern Bali. As a result the local craftsmen lost their royal support and soon realized that foreign tourists were not particularly interested in gods and heroes. Hence, stimulated by some of the Western artists who had settled in Bali, they turned to secular subjects taken from nature and everyday life and became more impressionistic in the execution. This led to a range of new styles, often impressionistic and sometimes even minimalistic and caricatural with bizarre elongated shapes or solid compact forms. In this book we are concerned with this particular type of 20th century ?Modern Style? Balinese wood carving. The catalogue contains 40 objects of ?modern style? wood carving, representing different styles. Each object is photographed, both as an overview and in details if so requested. A brief description of each object is provided, together with the estimated date, and additional information is provided if considered useful. The catalogue is preceded by an essay on the history of Balinese wood carving.geschiedenis
Karel Vlierman
Cogs, Small Cogs and Boats
From the thirteenth to the fifteenth century an important part of the economy in northwestern Europe was based on trade in the Hanseatic League. The main means of transport consisted of ships, mainly cogs. The importance of this type of ship was already apparent from medieval documents, miniatures, and other sources. However, until the mid-twentieth century, no material remains of such ships were known. Results from archaeological excavations of shipwrecks had to be awaited for greater clarity on the construction, technology and appearance of these ships. One of the world's largest collections of medieval shipwrecks emerged after the Second World War during the partial reclamation of the IJsselmeer lake (the former Zuiderzee inlet) in the Netherlands, where three polders were created from 1942 onwards. During these works, hundreds of shipwrecks from the period between 1250 and 1900 were discovered, about twenty of these being cogs. The first cog was excavated in 1944. The famed cog, with its remarkable construction and the ingenious manner in which the seams between the planks were made watertight using moss, laths and iron clamps, clearly demanded an in-depth study. The Netherlands were an ideal place to start, as more than half of all the cog wrecks in Europe have been found, (partially) excavated and studied in the Netherlands. Maritime archaeologist Karel Vlierman has excavated shipwrecks all his working life. He dedicated himself to the research of these ships, including two cogs found at Doel near Antwerp and the recently uncovered cog from the river IJssel near Kampen. His research of more than twenty years has resulted in a monograph of 996 illustrated pages, together with some 70 large technical drawings of all the investigated cogs and their reconstructions. The monograph (in two volumes) and the folder with the 70 technical drawings -in A0, A1 and A2 format- together come in a fine slipcase. Karel Vlierman explains the shipbuilding tradition of the Hanseatic period in detail and clarifies the differences between the cog and, for example, the 'nef' of the southern North Sea, which belongs to the Nordic or Scandinavian tradition. Based on the finds excavated at Kampen, he considers it very likely that a shipyard was located there in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century. The largest piece of woollen sail ever excavated was discovered at Kampen. Hundreds of typical iron clamps too were found, some of them unused, suggesting a blacksmith's workshop specifically dedicated to producing them. Ships could be hauled out from the water and, after repairs, sail to the Zuiderzee via the IJssel. This is the first cog shipyard ever to be discovered in the Netherlands. Until the 'IJssel cog' was discovered and excavated near Kampen, the so-called 'Nijkerk-II' was the best-preserved known cog. The analysis of this cog was the starting point for this study, together with the experience gained during the construction of a replica of it, the so-called Kamper Kogge (Kampen Cog). It gradually became clear that there had been a tradition of cog building. Through studying and drawing all the cog wrecks, it was possible to make reconstruction drawings of many of them, with the benefit of evidence already obtained from other wrecks. This voluminous and impressive book will set the standard for publications on maritime archaeology for decades to come, as it is the landmark handbook for the way in which shipwrecks should be documented, described, and reconstructed. The detailed manner in which the technical drawings have been created makes it possible to construct virtual 3D models. The vectorised drawings are of a very high quality and are available digitally. In addition, Karel Vlierman created about twenty artists&; impressions of the cogs as they must have looked during operation and of life on board. These not only appear in a large format in the book but are also available as postcards and posters. This will be the standard work on cogs, the first of its kind to be published, with the size and scope of the study unequaled in any area of maritime archaeology. The famous publication on the sixteenth-century ship Mary Rose comes close but is about a single ship only. The present book on cogs covers the entire spectrum of these vessels, from seagoing ships to boats and barges plying the inland waterways and even a possible military cog for army transport.kunst
Ton & Mies Becker
Twentieth Century Japanese Bronze Flower Vases
'The Becker Collection - Twentieth century Japanese bronze flower vases' contains the private collection of twentieth century bronze flower vases compiled by Ton and Mies Becker, both retired medical specialists van collectors of Asian art. With the introduction of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century, bronze containers for flowers to be placed on the altar became important religious objects. In the fifteenth century the Buddhist monk Senno Ikenobô founded the art of flower arranging, which started what nowadays is known as ikebana, the traditional Japanes way of floral art. Presently only the Ikenobô ikebana school still uses bronze flower vases, while all other ikebana schools use other materials like ceramics and bamboo. Following the Meije restauration (1868-1912) the Japanese art world was confronted with Western art styles, in particular the Art Deco movement. The twentieth century flower vases in this collection show a variety in shape and style, in part based on traditional Buddhist temple style vases and in part on the streamlined and geometrical style of the Art Deco movement, albeit often with a distinct 'Japanese touch'. A few introductory essays provide some background information about 'bronzes in Japanese culture', 'the patination of flower bronzes' and 'the tomobako (storage box)'. The catalogue of the vases is arranged according to the bronze worker and presented in alphabetical order in the traditional Japanese way, i.e. the family name first, followed by the given name. All vases are shown together with their tomobako -if available- and with their signature or seal. Brief biographical data are included once available.kunst
