A STUDY OF JAPANESE ART.
Frank thought it was pretty nearly time to be thinking about the
purchases he was to make for Mary. So he looked up the paper she gave
him before his departure, and sat down to examine it. The list was not
by any means a short one, and on consulting with the Doctor he learned
that it would make a heavy inroad upon his stock of cash if he bought
everything that was mentioned. He was rather disconcerted at the
situation, but the good Doctor came to his relief.
"It is nothing unusual," said he, "for persons going abroad to be loaded
down with commissions that they are unable to execute. A great many
people, with the best intentions in the world, ask their friends who are
going to Europe to bring back a quantity of things, without stopping to
think that the purchase of those things will involve a heavy outlay that
cannot be easily borne by the traveller. The majority of people who go
abroad have only a certain amount of money to expend on their journeys,
and they cannot afford to lock up a considerable part of that money in
purchases that will only be paid for on their return, or quite as often
are never paid for at all. There is a good little story on this subject,
and it may be of use to you to hear it.
"A gentleman was once leaving New York for a trip to Europe, and many of
his friends gave him commissions to execute for them. Some were
thoughtful enough to give him the money for the articles they wanted;
but the majority only said, 'I'll pay you when you get back, and I know
how much it comes to.' When he returned, he told them that a singular
circumstance had happened in regard to the commissions. 'The day after I
sailed,' said he, 'I was in my room arranging the lists of things I was
to get for my friends, and I placed the papers in two piles; those that
had the money with them I put in one pile, and the money on top; and
those that had no money with them I put in another pile. The wind came
in and set things flying all around the room. The papers that had the
money on them were held down by it, but those that had no money to keep
them in place were carried out of the window and lost in the sea. And so
you see how it is that the commissions that my friends gave me the money
for are the only ones I have been able to execute.'
"But in the present case," said Doctor Bronson, "it is all right, as
your father privately gave me the money to buy the articles your sister
wants. So you can go ahead and get them without any fear that you will
trench on the amount you have for your personal expenses."
The boys went on a round of shopping, and kept it up, at irregular
intervals, during their stay in Japan. And in their shopping excursions
they learned much about the country and people that they would not have
been likely to know of in any other way.
One of the first things on the list was a silk wrapper with nice
embroidery. This gave rather a wide latitude in the way of selection,
and Frank was somewhat puzzled what to get. He went to the store of one
of the greatest silk-merchants of Yokohama and stated his wants. He was
bewildered by the variety of things placed before him, and by their
great beauty in color and workmanship. There were so many pretty things
for sale there that he did not know when to stop buying; and he
privately admitted to Fred that it was fortunate he was restricted in
the amount he was to expend, or he would be in danger of buying out the
whole of the establishment. He found the goods were admirably adapted to
the foreign taste, and, at the same time, they preserved the national
characteristics that gave them value as the products of Japan.
[Illustration: FRANK'S PURCHASE.]
He selected a robe of a delicate blue, and finely embroidered with silk
of various colors. The embroideries represented flowers and leaves in
curious combinations; and when the robe was placed on a frame where the
light could fall full upon it, Frank thought he had never seen anything
half so pretty. And it is proper to add that he bought two of these
robes. Why he should buy two, when he had only one sister--and she would
not be likely to want two wrappers of the same kind--I leave the reader
to guess.
[Illustration: JAPANESE PATTERN-DESIGNER.]
Then there were fans on the list, and he went in pursuit of fans. He
found them, and he thus had the opportunity of seeing the fan-makers at
work. He found that there is a great variety in the fans which the
Japanese make, and that the articles vary from prices which are
astonishingly low to some which are dear in proportion. There is such a
large trade in fans that he expected to find an extensive factory,
employing hundreds of hands. He found, instead, that the fan-makers work
on a very small scale, and that one person generally does only a small
portion of the work, then turns it over to another, who does a little
more, and so on. Certain low-priced fans are all finished in one shop;
but with the high grades this is not the case, and, from first to last,
a fan must pass through a good many hands. The fan-makers include women
as well as men in their guild; and Frank thought it was by no means an
unpleasant sight to see the women seated on the floor in front of low
benches and gracefully handling the parts of the fan that was
approaching completion in consequence of their manipulations.
[Illustration: FAN-MAKERS AT WORK.]
Mary had been seized with the prevailing mania for Japanese porcelain,
and among the things in her list she had noted especially and
underscored the words "some good things in Japanese _cloisonné_." Frank
had seen a good many nice things in this kind of work, and he set about
selecting, with the help of the Doctor and Fred, the articles he was to
send home. He bought some in Yokohama, some in Tokio, and later on he
made some purchases in Kobe and Kioto. We will look at what he bought
and see if his sister had reason to be pleased when the consignment
reached her and was unpacked from its carefully arranged wrappings.
For hundreds of years Japan has been famous for its productions of
porcelain of various kinds, from the tiny cup no larger than a lady's
thimble to the elaborately decorated vase with a capacity of many
gallons. Each province of Japan has its peculiar product, and sometimes
one is in fashion, and sometimes another. For the last few years the
favor has turned in the direction of Satsuma ware, which has commanded
enormous figures, especially for the antique pieces. So great was the
demand for old Satsuma that a good many manufacturers turned their
attention to its production. They offer to make it to any amount, just
as the wine-dealers in New York can accommodate a customer with wine of
any vintage he requires, if he will only give them time enough to put on
the proper labels. It is proper to say, on behalf of the Japanese, that
they learned this trick from the foreigners; and their natural
shrewdness has taught them to improve upon the lesson, so that in some
instances they have actually sold to their instructors new ware for old,
and convinced the purchasers of its genuineness.
[Illustration: CHINESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.]
We have not space enough to go into a full account of art in Japan, as a
whole volume could be written on the subject without exhausting it.
Frank followed the directions in Mary's note to find some good things in
_cloisonné_; and, as he did not pay much attention to other matters, we
will, for the present at least, follow his example and take a look at
this branch of art in Japan.
[Illustration: JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.]
Frank thought it would be proper to have his sister understand the
process by which the articles she desired were prepared, and, with the
assistance of Doctor Bronson, he was able to write her an account of it
that she could study, and, if she chose, could read or tell to her
friends. Here is what he produced on the subject:
[Illustration: JAPANESE BOWL.]
"The term _cloisonné_ comes from the French word _cloison_, which means
a _field_ or _enclosure_, and you will see as you go on how appropriate
it is to this kind of work. If you examine the bowl which you will find
in the box, you will see that it has a groundwork of light blue, and
that on this groundwork there are fine threads of brass enclosing little
squares and other figures in colors quite different from the body of the
bowl. If you look at the cover, you will find that these squares and
figures are repeated, and also that there are three circles, like plates
with serrated edges, that seem to be lying on the top of the cover.
These plates, or circles, have pictures of flowers on them, and the
designs of the flowers on each one are different from those of the other
two. Every leaf and petal is distinct from the others by means of the
brass wires, and the colors do not at any time run together.
[Illustration: COVER OF JAPANESE BOWL.]
"In the first place, the bowl of plain porcelain is ground, so that the
enamel will stick closely, which it would not do if the surface were
glazed. Then the artist makes a design, on paper, of the pattern he
intends putting on the bowl. When his design is finished, he lays it on
a flat surface, and takes little pieces of brass wire which has been
passed between rollers so that it becomes flattened; these he bends with
pincers, so that they take the shape of the figure he wants to
represent. Thus he goes over his whole design until every part of the
outline, every leaf, flower, and stem--in fact, every line of his
drawing--is represented by a piece of wire bent to the exact shape. The
wire then forms a series of partitions; each fragment of it is a cell,
or _cloison_, intended to retain the enamel in place and keep the colors
from spreading or mingling. That is the first step in the work.
"The second step is to attach these flattened threads of wire by their
edges to the bowl. This is done by means of a fusible glass, which is
spread over the surface of the bowl in the form of paste; the bits of
wire are carefully laid in their places in the paste, and the bowl is
then baked just enough to harden the surface and make it retain the
threads where they belong. Now comes the third step.
"This consists of filling the little cells or enclosures with the proper
enamel, and, to do this correctly, the original design must be carefully
followed. The design is drawn in colors, and as the artist proceeds with
his work he has the colors ready mixed in little cups that are ranged
before him. These colors are like thick pastes of powdered glass mixed
with the proper pigments, and one by one the cells of the surface are
filled up. Then the groundwork is filled in the same way; and when all
this is done, the bowl is put into the oven and submitted to a strong
heat.
[Illustration: CHINESE METAL VASE.]
"The baking serves to fix the colors firmly in their cells, as the fire
is hot enough to melt the glass slightly and fuse it to a perfect union
with the body of the bowl. For common work, a single coating of enamel
and a single baking are sufficient, but for the finer grades this will
not answer. Another coating of colors is laid on, and perhaps a third or
a fourth, and after each application the bowl is baked again. When this
process is finished, the surface is rough, and the bowl is not anything
like what we see it now. It must be polished smooth, and, with this
object, it is ground and rubbed, first with coarse stones, then with
finer ones, then with emery, and finally with powdered charcoal. In this
way the bowl was brought to the condition in which you will find it, if
it comes all right and uninjured from the box. A good many pieces of
this ware are broken in the handling, and consequently they add to the
price of those that come out unharmed.
[Illustration: MODERN JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.]
"The fine threads of brass that run through the surface give a very
pretty appearance to the work, as they look like gold, and are perfectly
even with the rest of what has been laid on to the original bowl. In
some of the most expensive of the enamel-work the threads are of fine
gold instead of brass; but there is no particular advantage in having
them of gold, as the brass answers all purposes and the gold serves as a
temptation to robbers. There is an endless variety of designs in
_cloisonné_ work, and you see so many pretty things in porcelain that
you are at a loss what to choose.
[Illustration: JAPANESE METAL CLOISONNÉ.]
"But the artists do not confine themselves to porcelain; they do a great
deal of enamelling on metal, and some of their productions in this way
are quite as interesting as their enamelling on porcelain. They did not
invent the art, so it is said, but borrowed it from the Chinese, who had
in their turn borrowed it from Persia or some other of the Central
Asiatic countries. Some of the Japanese artists claim that the art was
borrowed from their country, but the most of those who have studied the
subject say that this claim is incorrect. But no matter who invented the
process, it is very beautiful and is of great antiquity; it is capable
of a great many variations, and, although it has been in use for
centuries, hardly a year passes without some improvements in it. In
making the metal enamels the strips of brass are soldered to the surface
and the cavities are filled up with the liquid coloring. The whole is
then baked as in the porcelain process, and the surface of the work is
carefully polished until all the lines are fully developed and the
completed article shines like glass.
[Illustration: CHINESE PORCELAIN CLOISONNÉ.]
"I shall send you," Frank added, "several specimens of this kind of
work, and I am sure that all of you will be delighted with them. In
addition to the Japanese enamel, I have been able to pick up a few from
China by the help of a gentleman who has been a long time in the
country, and knows where to get the best things. And as I can't get all
I want, I shall send you some pictures of very rare specimens, and you
can judge by them of the quality of what you have. It is very difficult
to find some of the varieties, as there have been a good many men out
here making purchases for the New York and London markets, and they
gather up everything that is curious. The demand is so great that the
Japanese makers have all they can do to supply it; but I suppose that in
a few years the taste of the public will change, and then you can buy
all you want. But you can't get tired all at once of the pretty things
that I have found; and I think that the more you look at the pictures on
the bowls and plates, the more you will admire them. You are fond of
birds and flowers, and you will find them on the porcelain; and there is
one piece that has a river and some mountains on it, as well defined as
if it were a painting on a sheet of paper. Look at the bridge over the
river, and the trees on the side of the mountain, and then say if you
ever saw anything nicer. I am in love with the Japanese art work, and
sorry I can't buy more of it. And I think that is the case with most
people who come to Japan, and take the trouble to look at the nice
things it contains."
[Illustration: GROUP CARVED IN IVORY.]
Mary's list included some carvings in ivory and some lacquered boxes to
keep her gloves in. These were not at all difficult to find, as they
were everywhere in the shops, and it would have been much harder to
avoid them if he had wanted to do so. There were chessmen of ivory, and
representations of the divinities of the country; and then there were
little statues of the kings and high dignitaries from ancient times down
to the present. As it was a matter of some perplexity, Frank sought the
advice of Doctor Bronson; the latter told him it would be just as well
to restrain himself in the purchase of ivory carvings, as there was
better work of the kind in China, and a few samples of the products of
Japan would be sufficient. Frank acted upon this hint, and did not make
any extensive investments in Japanese ivory. He found a great variety of
what the Japanese call "nitschkis," which are small pieces of ivory
carved in various shapes more or less fanciful. They were pretty, and
had the merit of not being at all dear; and as they would make nice
little souvenirs of Japan, he bought a good many of them. They are
intended as ornaments to be worn at a gentleman's girdle, and in the
olden times no gentleman considered his dress complete without one or
more of these at his waist, just as most of the fashionable youths of
America think that a scarf-pin is necessary to make life endurable. A
large number of carvers made a living by working in ivory, and they
displayed a wonderful amount of patience in completing their designs.
One of these little carvings with which Frank was fascinated was a
representation of a man mounting a horse with the assistance of a groom,
who was holding the animal. The piece was less than two inches in
length, and yet the carver had managed to put in this contracted space
the figures of two men and a horse, with the dress of the men and the
trappings of the horse as carefully shown as in a painting. There was a
hole in the pedestal on which the group stood, and Frank found, on
inquiry, that this hole was intended for the passage of a cord to attach
the ornament to the waist of the wearer. And then he observed that all
the carvings had a similar provision for rendering them useful.
[Illustration: JAPANESE PIPE, CASE, AND POUCH.]
Frank also ascertained that another ornament of the Japanese waist-belt
was a pipe and a tobacco-pouch, the two being so inseparable that they
formed a single article. The pipe was a tiny affair which only held a
pinch of tobacco the size of a pea, and he learned that the smoker, in
using it, took but a single whiff and then found the bowl exhausted.
When not in use, the pipe was carried in a little case, which was made,
like the pouch, of leather, and was generally embroidered with
considerable care. Many of the pipe-cases were made of shark-skin, which
has the double merit of being very durable and also quite pretty. It is
polished to a condition of perfect smoothness, and the natural spots of
the skin appear to be as regular as though drawn by an artist. Frank
tried a few whiffs of the tobacco and found it very weak. He was thus
informed of the reason why a Japanese can smoke so much as he does
without being seriously affected by it. He can get through with a
hundred of these little pipes in a day without the least trouble, and
more if the time allows.
Of lacquer-ware, of all kinds and prices, there was literally no end.
There were trays and little boxes which could be had for a shilling or
two, and there were cabinets and work-stands with numerous drawers and
sliding panels curiously contrived, that a hundred dollars, or even five
hundred, would not buy. Between these two figures there was a wide
range, so that the most modest purse could be gratified as well as the
most plethoric one. Frank found that the dealers did not put their best
goods where they could be most readily seen. The front of a shop
contained only the most ordinary things; and if you wanted to look at
the better articles, it was necessary to say so. When the merchant knew
what his customer wanted, he led the way to the rear store, or perhaps
to an upper floor, where the best goods were kept. It was necessary to
walk very carefully in these shops, as they were very densely crowded
with goods, and the least incaution might result in overthrowing some of
the brittle articles. A clumsy visitor in one of these establishments a
few days before Frank called there had broken a vase valued at fifty
dollars, and while stooping to pick up the fragments he knocked down
another worth nearly half that amount. He paid for the damage, and in
future declined to go around loosely in a Japanese store.
The Japanese lacquer of the present time is not so highly prized as that
of the last or the previous century. It is not so well made, partly for
the reason that the workmen have lost their skill in the art, and partly
because labor is much more expensive now than formerly. The prices
obtained for some of the specimens of this kind of work have been very
high, but they are not enough to meet the advance that has been made in
wages in the past few years. The manufacturers are anxious to turn their
money as rapidly as possible, and consequently they do not allow their
productions to dry thoroughly. To be properly prepared, a piece of
lacquer should dry very slowly; and it used to be said that the best
lacquer was dried under water, so that the process should not be too
rapid. The article, whatever it may be, is first shaped from wood or
papier-maché, and then covered with successive coatings of varnish or
lacquer; this is made from the gum of a tree, or, rather, from the
juice, and it is said to have the peculiar property of turning black
from exposure to the air, though it is of a milky whiteness when it
exudes from the tree. It can be made to assume various colors by the
addition of pigments; and while it is in a fresh condition coatings of
gold-leaf are laid on in such a way as to form the figures that the
artist has designed. Every coating must be dried before the next is laid
on; and the more elaborate and costly the work, the more numerous are
the coatings. Sometimes there may be a dozen or more of them, and
pieces are in existence that are said to have received no less than
fifty applications of lacquer. A box may thus require several years for
its completion, as the drying process should never be hastened, lest the
lacquer crack and peel when exposed to the air, and especially to heat.
Good lacquer can be put into hot water without the least injury; but
this is not the case with the ordinary article.
In 1874 a steamer was lost on the coast of Japan. She had as a part of
her cargo the Japanese goods from the Vienna Exhibition, and none of
them were recovered for nearly a year. There they lay under the
salt-water, and it was supposed that nearly everything would be ruined.
But it was found that the lacquered ware had suffered very little, and
some of these very articles were shown at Philadelphia in 1876. A few of
the pieces required to be freshly polished, but there were many of them
that did not need even this slight attention.
[Illustration: JAPANESE ARTIST CHASING ON COPPER.]
The boys were greatly interested in their shopping excursions, and
learned a good deal about Japanese art and industry before they had
ended their purchases. By the time they were through they had an
excellent collection of porcelain and other ware, of ivory carvings,
lacquered boxes, and similar things; silk robes, wrappers, and
handkerchiefs; and quite enough fans to set up a small museum. They
tried at first to get a sample of each kind of fan that they could find,
but the variety proved so great that they were forced to give up the
attempt. They bought some curious articles of bamboo, and were surprised
to find to how many uses this vegetable production is put. Frank thought
it was a pity the bamboo did not grow in America, as it could be turned
to even more advantage by the enterprising Yankee than by the plodding
Oriental, and Fred was inclined to agree with him. They changed their
minds, however, when the Doctor told them how far the bamboo entered
into the life of the people of the East, and on the whole they concluded
that the American couldn't improve upon it.
[Illustration: A JAPANESE VILLAGE.--BAMBOO POLES READY FOR MARKET.]
"The bamboo," said the Doctor, "is of use from a very early age. The
young shoots are boiled and eaten, or soaked in sugar, and preserved as
confectionery. The roots of the plant are carved so as to resemble
animals or men, and in this shape are used as ornaments; and when the
bamboo is matured, and of full size, it is turned to purposes almost
without number. The hollow stalks are used as water-pipes; rafts are
made of them; the walls and roofs of houses are constructed from them;
and they serve for the masts of smaller boats and the yards of larger
ones. The light and strong poles which the coolies place over their
shoulders for bearing burdens are almost invariably of bamboo; and where
it grows abundantly it is used for making fences and sheds, and for the
construction of nearly every implement of agriculture. Its fibres are
twisted into rope, or softened into pulp for paper; every article of
furniture is made of bamboo, and so are hats, umbrellas, fans, cups, and
a thousand other things. In fact, it would be easier to say what is not
made of it in these Eastern countries than to say what is; and an
attempt at a mere enumeration of its uses and the articles made from it
would be tedious. Take away the bamboo from the people of Japan and
China, and you would deprive them of their principal means of support,
or, at any rate, would make life a much greater burden than it now is."
[Illustration]