Japanese Satsuma pottery in the Hermitage
ARTinvestment.RU   11 октября 2009

At the State Hermitage Museum opened an exhibition of works of Japanese Satsuma pottery from the museum collection

The State Hermitage Museum opened the exhibition "Japanese Satsuma pottery in the Hermitage».

Elegant, with bright murals and gold products, made of light weight ceramic, glazed with fine cracks, enjoyed great popularity in Europe in the late XIX - early XX century. This led to the emergence in Japan of objects in Satsuma style, created in other ceramic centers and intended for export to Europe. Exposition dedicated to the province of Satsuma pottery, held in Russia for the first time.

Hermitage collection allows us to trace the various stages in the development of ceramics and Satsuma satsumskogo style from the XVIII century and the first third of XX century, demonstrates the diversity of artistic and technical methods used in the ornamentation of products. Despite the fact that the collection is small, it is representative enough and, along with a collection of the Museum of the East (Moscow) is the largest in Russia.

The exhibition features 70 works of Japanese ceramics. With the exception of five subjects not previously exhibited.

By the early painted products include items that are created in the so-called Thai-style (sunkoroku), rising to the ornamentation of Thai ceramics XIII - XIV centuries. At the exhibition they presented incense and sculpture of the "Divine mercy Kannon with a boy» (XVIII century). Plastic style sunkoroku in museum collections are fairly rare, so the Hermitage instance is a kind of rarity. Both subject matter covered underglaze painting depicting spiral lines and geometric motifs, executed in dark brown paint.

The formation of style satsumskoy ceramics were influenced by Korean and Chinese samples. These effects are clearly evident in the ornamentation of dark clay vessel with inlaid white engobe, a vessel with a relief depicting a bird, the iconography of the figures Budai - a deity of contentment and well-being.

In the second half of XVIII century the production of ceramics in Satsuma reduced. Some recovery was observed only at the beginning of the XIX century. At that time, were distributed to small-sized objects intended for the tea ceremony or having a utilitarian purpose. The Hermitage this period is not represented, and the earliest of the XIX century items - cups, bowls, vessels of different forms - can be attributed only to the second half of the century.

By the middle of XIX century in the workshops of Kagoshima, Tateno Naesirogava and formed a special style of pottery. His hallmarks are cream-colored pot, a small craquelure to glaze and polychrome painting, called "nisikide" ( "brocade pattern" or "cloth of gold"). Examples of such products can serve as a figure of an elephant, adorned with a complex painting. One of the typical methods used by the ceramist Satsuma is the widespread use of open-work carving, as seen in the decoration of vases with the pattern in the form of a pomegranate or a box with a lid.

Vase with a monogram "N" under the crown belongs to the expensive gift items. It was performed by masters Dzyukanom XII and Tin Tin Dzyuseem and sent to St. Petersburg (with the pair to it) in 1896, apparently, to the coronation of Nicholas II.

In Europe, Satsuma pottery was now recognized in 1873, after the World Exhibition in Vienna. Interest in the products of the province led to the creation of workshops, specializing in ceramic in the style of Satsuma. From this time begins active production of goods for export, not only in Satsuma, but also in other ceramic centers.

Among them immediately outshone Kyoto, where pottery with polychrome existed since the XVII century, having a brilliant development in the works of famous masters Nonmura Ninseya and Ogata Kenzan. First master who applied to products satsumskogo style was Kinkodzan Sobey VI (1824-1884). His son and heir Kinkodzan VII (1867-1927) developed the style of his father, and greatly expanded production, making the studio one of the largest in Kyoto. In ornamental motifs and compositions in the genre of "flowers and birds", in the years 1870-80 are widespread genre scenes, scenes of which the master drew from literary works, legends of brave warriors of the past. By the end of XIX century literary themes give way to scenes of celebrations and entertainment, and celebrities of the ancient capital. Appliances decor with time became more complicated; contacts with the countries of Europe have to borrow some techniques. In particular, the Japanese masters began to use the technique "suykin" ( "liquid gold"), borrowed from artists Meissen porcelain manufactory in Germany.

big demand for kiotosskuyu ceramics in the style Satsuma abroad influenced the creation of workshops, working in a similar manner in the cities of Kansai Region, covering the prefectures of Kyoto, Osaka and Nara Khegai. One of the most significant artists working in this style, was Meydzan Yabu (1853-1934), whose life is connected with the city of Osaka. The main themes of the decoration of its products are miniature landscapes and narrative scenes. At the same time, in 1880-90-ies appear painted with small floral pattern, tiny images of birds, butterflies. In this style of decor cups filled with images of butterflies inside.

a large center, where the objects created in the style of Satsuma, was Yokohama. Here is one of the greatest masters in the late XIX century was Kodzan Miyagawa (1846-1916). His name is related to the appearance of products, in which paintings were combined with high relief and separately met with figures of birds and insects. These products are called "saykumono" ( "handicrafts"). Submission of them gives a vase with the image of birds on the branches of the workshop Kodzana.

Increasing demand for Japanese ceramics abroad has caused the emergence of trading companies, ordering a particular product type. There were special albums orders with samples of forms and decoration. In Satsuma create forms for tea and coffee service, decorated in high relief, and in Yokohama, they were painted. Subjects served as battle scenes, images of deities, Arhats and dragons in a landscape, which were duplicated in a variety of subjects. Widely applied relief, stamping, painting dense colors, creating embossed lines, gilding. Often combined with the story painted geometrical patterns, ornaments in the form of gold dots on their coats of arms were placed against the Shimazu family, the imperial household, at the bottom of the substrate to be an inscription containing the names of the masters were fabricated form, and painted objects, and sometimes the name of a trading company.

The exhibition has been prepared and issued full-color illustrated catalog (Publishing House of the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2009). Curator of the exhibition - Tatyana Arapova, a leading researcher in the Department of the East of the State Hermitage.

The exhibition runs until December 13, 2009.

Source: hermitagemuseum.org