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Of Victoria(1909-2005) AustralianAustralianStudiesAssociation Studies Association of Japan t-xF7V7Mfi g28e 2015,3 "representative A collection": The history of uklyo-e at the National Gallery of Victoria (1909-2005) Gaiy Hickev; 71he Uhiversity ofeueenslana Australia Introduction The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) was the first Australian public art gallery to begin collecting Japanese art and, up until the 1980s, had the most significant collection in the country. A major strength of this collection was its uktyo-e woodblock prints. However, the history of this uktyo-e collection, which reflects the history of the NGV Japanese collection as a whole, provides a salutary lesson in how culturally inclusive art museums can, despite providing a `Crepresentative colrectjon," be devalued by apathy in regards to curatorial expenise, research and collection development. Early history In 1861, ten years after the colony of Victoria had separated from New South Wales and became a colony in its own right, the Art Room in the State Library ofVictoria was opened later changing its narne to the National Gallery of Victoria. This was a name it maintained beyond federation ofthe colonies in 1901 and the establishment ofthe Australian National Gallery (later changed to the National Gallery ofAustralia, NGA) in Canberra in 1982. Stimulated by the nineteenth century intercolonial and international exhibitions the NGV began collecting Japanese art works with the first catalogued work being an early nineteenth century lacquer bettle accessioned in 1868.Ci) These works have not been included in any published NGV exhibition catalogues. The most significant acquisitions of Japanese art in the NGV's history came during the tenure of the second director; the English artist Bernard Hatl (1859-1935) who took up the position in 1892,(2) He is said to have had a Japanese woodblock print collection and also included, in an Orientalisi manner, Asian artifacts in his own paintings, In his other role as Head ofthe NGV Art School he also trained artists whe would later develop affinities to the j'apanese woodblock print, includifig Violet Teague (1872-195 1) and Margaret Preston (1875-1963). What enabled Hall to make such a significant contribution to the NGV collection was a major bequest during his tenure by the entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist Alfred Felton (1831-1904). Having no direct descendants this wealthy businessman left his estate in trust on the condition that the large income it derived be equally divided between Victorian charities and the National Gallery ofVictoria for the acquisition ofart works which he specified "artistic should be oC and educational value, and calculated to raise or improve public taste."(3) -194- NII-Electronic Library Service AustralianAustralianStudiesAssociation Studies Association of Japan Transformation of Australian Studies in a Globalising Age In 1906,{4) two years after Felton's death, the NGV Japanese art collection was to benefit from his Iegacy with a purchase using funds from his bequest of a seventeenth century six-fold screen attributed to the S6tatsu School. This work was aequired under the advice of Jean-Jacques Marquet de Vasselot (1871-1946){5) a curator of decorative arts at the Louvre Museum establishing a pattern that continues until the present day of seeking the advice of overseas `specialists' in the acquisition ofJapanese art.(6) This is at a time when American and European collectors and institutions were amassing coherent collections, in many cases directly from Japanese sources and based upon their infbmied knowledge of the subject. "cultural The NGV maintained this cringe"{7) with the purchase in 1909, under the advice of an Englishmqn of part of an American's collcction of uktyo-e woodblock prints. This uktyo-e collection purchased in 1909 was that of the Japan-based American businessman John Stewart Happer (1863-1937). During his time in Japan he developed an interest in uklyo-e prints amassing an extensive collection. He had intended to keep his orklyo-e collection in tact but was fbrced to sell it due to the illness of his wife.(g) Thus he commissioned Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge to auction his extensive collection of Japanese prints at a London sale from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 Apri1 1909.(9) According to the British novelist and uklyo-e collector Arthur "Without Morrison who wrote the Preface to the auction catalogue for this sale, a shadow of doubt no such important body ofJapanese colour prints as regards quality has ever been offered for public sale in this country,"(iO) The Felton Bequest adviser Frank Gibson (1865-1931) was engaged to purchase prints from "another this collection. Hall did not tmst Gibson's connoisseurship branding him amateur,"(ii) an assessment vindicated by a number of dubious acquisitions he made for the Gallery.(i2) Lacking specialised knowledge in the field, in making his selectiQn, Gibson sought the advice of the English uktyo-e specialist, Edward. F. Strange of the Victoria and Albert Museum.(i3) The NGV purchased fifty-six lots from this sale.(i4) In his selection Gibson seemed conscious of amassing a representative collection within the authorised budget of £ 500(i5) and in so doing missed major works that would have helped make this an exceptional uklyo-e collection by world standards.(i6) For example, of the Hokusai prints on offer his purchases were between £ 5 and £7 whilst many of the impressions sold for upwards of £ 10, One exception was his `Under purchase of one of two impressions of Katsushika Hokusai's (1760-1849) the wave off Kanagawa' (Kanagawa oki namiura, reAJ11ptNM) from his c.1830-5 series Tlhirty-six views of 'M'J'k.'･i Mbunt Fnji (thtgaku sanju--rokkei, I']Li'A'). The first of these, catalogue no.122, was "[e]xceptionally described as an fine sharp copy"(i7) and the second, catalogue no, 149, as "an `C,..one excqptionally bri11iant impression"(t8} and ofthe finest examples in existence.,."(i9) Catalogue ne, 122 sold for £ 911O shillings and catalogue no. 149 sold for £ 23/1O shillings to a Mr. Charles Davis.(20) The NGV purchased the forrner impression of this werk and it has the -195- NII-Electronic Library Service AustralianAustralianStudiesAssociation Studies Association of Japan t=xF7V7blX ij28e 2015,3 hallmarks of a sharp early impression,･ fbr exa'mple.there is no wear to the block often seen in a' wide break in the line of the wave behind the boat on the far right and also there are no breaks around the title.cartouche.(2i) Another feature of later impressiens are the'background clouds which are, in these impressions, either faded or have disappeared altogether. An impression of this work in New York's Metropolitan Museum acquired in 1936 is considered the world's best extant example and has the requisite good colour and contrast between the clouds and the sky.{22) The text for catalogue 149 in the 1909 Happer Collection sale perfectly describes such a quality impression. What detracts from the NGV impression is the condition ofthe paper with deterioratiori ardund the edges, discolouration and a prominent center fbld indicating that it was once in an album (see, http:ffwww,ngv.vic.gov.aufcol!work!22076), The failure ofthe NGV to "exceptionally acquire the brilliant impression" of this work,'as well as Hokusai's other acknowledged masterpiece from the series;･ Gaijii Kaisei enza'IRHE which sold for £ 15flO shillings(23) must be seen as a lost opportunity. Similarly catalogue no. 480, Utagawa `Mountains Hiroshige's (1797-1858) o-ban triptych and Rivers on the Kiso Road' (Kisoji no `snow' yamakawa lg tszz2de)1[) from an 1857 untitled set of triptychs on the theme of as part･of the traditional subject ofsetsugekka (`snow, moon, and flowers') was purchased for £ 22 (see, http:!!www.ngv,vic,gov.aulcollwor[k122265) but the opportunity to complete this three-set o-ban Cmoon triptych series by purchasing the and flowers' triptychs, which sold fbr £ 11 and £ 13 respectively, was bypassed.(24) Gibson did however spend large amounts on a number of works such as £ 22 fbr an Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825) five-sheet o-ban 1lyOgoku Briclge dated by the NGV to c.l805 (Happer catalogue 21),C25) £ 10 fbr a Isoda KoryUsai (active c. 1764-88) hashira-e depicting ILdbtsukaze clancing beneath the robe of the courtier Ybukihira, c.1770 (Happer catalogue no. 50)(26) and £ 20!10 shillings on a Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815) hashira-e depicting a Courtesan and her attendont at the Nlew Year, dated 1785 (Happer catalogue no, 55), collection rneans that the of Strange's The still incornplete cataloguing of this quality the more expensive selection can yet be fu11y assessed. However, if we consider one of acquisitions this may give us an indication ofwhat kinds of infbrmation a fu11 cataloguing could the uncover. For these purposes I looked at Happer catalogue no. 43 purchased by Gibson fbr substantial figure of £ 24, an amount that could have purchased both of Hiroshige's previously discussed setsugekka triptychs. The work is a vertical chfiban by Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770) - 711iirty-six il!ustrating a peem by the poetess Ise (ptaj, c, 875 c. 938), from an untitled series of "llarunobu-gd',(27) Poetic immortals (Sbnju-rokkasen, r-+t.skfth) and signed The work has been dated to 1767-68 (Meia 4-5),(28) There are impressions ofthis wotk in the Museum ofFine Arts, Boston collection and the Art Institute ofChicago to compare the NGV wotk with.(29) The most striking diffbrence between the three works is the colour, The NGV image has large areas and orange. The that
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