Exhibition dates: 4th July – 4th November 2014
This is a most beautiful and refined exhibition. Despite the ferocity of the samurai, their armour is exquisite. The golden screens, the horse trappings, the swords and the pistols are all fabulously detailed. Walking into the darkened exhibition space is like entering another world. A must see exhibition before it closes!
Marcus
.
Many thankx to the National Gallery of Victoria for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.
Japanese
Saddle and stirrups with crane and turtle design
Edo period 1665 Japan
Lacquer on wood (maki-e), gold foil, silver, pigment, plant fibre (cord), dyes, metal, leather, (other materials)
28.2 x 41.0 x 39.0 cm (saddle)
Acquired, 1889
Utagawa Yoshitsuya
The death of Kusunoki Masatsura
19th century
Colour woodblock (triptych)
(a-c) 35.9 x 74.0 cm (image) (overall) (a-c) 36.4 x 74.0 cm (sheet) (overall)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1993
Utagawa Yoshitsuya
The death of Kusunoki Masatsura (detail)
19th century
Colour woodblock (triptych)
(a-c) 35.9 x 74.0 cm (image) (overall) (a-c) 36.4 x 74.0 cm (sheet) (overall)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1993
Felice Beato (attributed to)
No title (Samurai warrior)
1860s-1870s
Albumen silver photograph, colour dyes
24.2 x 19.6 cm (image and sheet)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented through the NGV Foundation by Thomas Dixon, Member, 2001
Baron Raimund von Stillfried
No title (Samurai in armour)
c. 1875; (c. 1877-1880) {printed}
Albumen silver photograph, colour dyes
24.4 x 19.6 cm (image and sheet)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through the NGV Foundation with the assistance of The Herald & Weekly Times Limited, Fellow, 2001
“Exquisite 300-year-old battle armour will bring the epic tales of Japanese history to life in a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Bushido: Way of the Samurai, which explores the fascinating world of the samurai; the warriors, rulers and aristocratic elite of Japanese society for more than 800 years.
The exhibition brings together over 200 objects from the NGV and Australian collections including many rediscovered and rarely seen treasures that were acquired by the NGV in the 1880s and 1920s, such as beautifully crafted armour, helmets, lacquered saddles and a full set of horse trappings. An exquisite group of 16th Century matchlock guns – weaponry used on the battlefield which irrevocably changed warfare and the ethics of the samurai in battle – and an elaborate suit of armour that has no record of being exhibited since its acquisition in 1889 will take center stage in the exhibition.
Wayne Crothers, Curator, Asian Art, NGV said that Japanese armour, swords and guns are celebrated as refined artworks and are appreciated for their unsurpassed craftsmanship and beauty. “Such dramatic and visually foreboding attire worn by a fierce sword wielding warrior thundering into battle on horseback must have created an image of heart stopping ferocity embodying the spirit and the age of the samurai. It is extraordinary that we have these pieces from key historical periods in Japanese history to share today,” Mr Crothers said.
Bushido: Way of the Samurai also includes three golden screens that would adorn the villas and castles of the samurai elite, one of which is a magnificent seven metre panoramic view of the twelfth century battle of Ichinotani, and a group of dramatic woodblock prints depicting stories of legendary samurai and their super human feats of bravery.
The art and culture of the samurai encompasses over 800 years of Japan’s history and creative past. From the twelfth century through to the modernisation of Japan in 1868, the Shogun, or the military elite, ruled the country and lived to a rigorous code of ethics. This military aristocracy aspired to a life of spiritual harmony that not only perfected the art of war, but also embodied an appreciation of the fine arts that established their life as an art form itself. The refined cultural pursuits of the samurai are exhibited in the form of exquisite Noh theatre costumes and dramatic Noh masks, tea ceremony utensils, lacquered personal items, formal clothing and studio photographs from the 1860s-70s that capture these noble warriors during the closing years of feudal Japan.
“Samurai virtues of honesty, courage, benevolence, respect, self-sacrifice, self-control, duty, and loyalty combined with a cultivated lifestyle established social stability and a legacy of art and culture in Japanese society that continues to this day,” Mr Crothers said.”
Press release from the NGV
Utagawa Yoshiiku (Japanese 1833-1904)
Fukushima Masanori, from the Heroic stories of the Taiheiki
Edo period 1867 Japan
Colour woodblock
25.5 x 19.0 cm (image and sheet)
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2014
Utagawa Yoshiiku (Japanese 1833-1904)
Gamō Ujisato, from the Heroic stories of the Taiheiki
Edo period 1867 Japan
Colour woodblock
25.5 x 19.0 cm (image and sheet)
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2014
Japanese
Ceremonial helmet with octopus and Genji cart wheel crest
19th century
Edo period 1600-15-1868 Japan
Lacquer on (leather) (maki-e), wood, gold, pigment, glass, metal (nails), silk and cotton (thread), (other materials)
28.0 x 35.5 x 38.0 cm
Felton Bequest, 1927
Japanese
Armour
18th century
Metal, wood, pigment, lacquer, gold paint, silk, cotton, leather, metal thread
(a-k) 136.0 x 56.0 x 45.0 cm (overall) (installation)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Mrs Henry Darlot, 1888
Japanese
Armour
Edo period 1600-15-1868 Japan
Lacquer, leather, metal, silk, cotton, hemp, gold pigment, coloured dyes
144.0 x 71.0 x 53.0 cm (overall) (installation)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Acquired, 1889
Japanese
Armour
Edo period 1600-15-1868 Japan
Lacquer, leather, metal, silk, cotton, hemp, gold pigment, coloured dyes
144.0 x 71.0 x 53.0 cm (overall) (installation)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Acquired, 1889
NGV International
180 St Kilda Road
Opening hours
10am – 5pm. Closed Tuesdays.
National Gallery of Victoria website
LIKE ART BLART ON FACEBOOK
Back to top
Filed under: beauty, black and white photography, documentary photography, exhibition, existence, gallery website, Japanese artist, light, Melbourne, memory, National Gallery of Victoria, photographic series, photography, portrait, space, time, works on paper Tagged: Baron Raimund von Stillfried, Baron Raimund von Stillfried Samurai in armour, Bushido, Bushido: Way of the Samurai, Ceremonial helmet with octopus, Ceremonial helmet with octopus and Genji cart wheel crest, Felice Beato, Felice Beato Samurai warrior, Fukushima Masanori, Gamō Ujisato, Heroic stories of the Taiheiki, Japanese Armour 18th century, Japanese Armour Edo period, Japanese Ceremonial helmet with octopus and Genji cart wheel crest, Japanese Saddle and stirrups with crane and turtle design, Kusunoki Masatsura, Saddle and stirrups with crane and turtle design, Samurai, samurai armour, Samurai in armour, Samurai warrior, The death of Kusunoki Masatsura, Utagawa Yoshiiku, Utagawa Yoshiiku Fukushima Masanori, Utagawa Yoshiiku Gamō Ujisato, Utagawa Yoshitsuya, Utagawa Yoshitsuya The death of Kusunoki Masatsura, Way of the Samurai