FIFTEEN BOOKS ON NETSUKE
"Sandfield, Norman. The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography - An Annotated Guide to Miniature Japanese Carvings.
Chicago: AMR, 1999. First Edition. 384 pp., 25 black and white illustrations. Hardcover also available. The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography is a comprehensive bibliography of more than 4,400 bibliographic print and non-print entries covering all aspects of Japanese netsuke, the miniature carvings which Japanese men used to suspend various items from the sash belt that fastened their kimono. It is organized into 15 major and 5 minor categories. Each category is further divided into 11 subcategories. Additional features include four indices (Author, Journal, Place, and Subject), and a variety of appendices. It contains 2,196 books, 1,861 journal articles (457 from the Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal), 367 from the Journal of the International Netsuke Collectors Society 1,494 auction catalogues, 431 items in French, 254 items in Japanese, 60 items prior to 1900, including 9 auction catalogues. Includes most materials published through the end of 1998. A section of Late Arrivals, including last minute submissions and items in early 1999, is listed as well. This volume is a necessity for every netsuke collector, bibliophile, art library and museum.
Jonas, F.M. Netsuke.
Tokyo: Tuttle, 1986. 185 pages. Numerous illustrations. Reprint of the scarce first edition of the earliest Netsuke book to be published in English.
Netsuke at the Miami Kappa Convention.
Tokyo: Sagemonoya, 2007. 72 pages, illustrated in colour. 115 items described and illustrated.
Eskenazi Ltd. Michael Webb Netsuke.
London: Eskenazi, 1978. First Edition. 30 pages, 20 pieces all illustrated in b/w
Christie's. An Important European Collection of Netsuke.
London: Christies, 2001. First Edition. 115 Lots, 82 pages. Text in English, full colour images throughout.
Eijer, D. Kagamibuta - Mirrors of Japanese Life and Legend.
Leiden: The Baur collection/Heinz Kaempfer Fund, 1994. First Edition. 95 Pages. Richly illustrated (some beautifully coloured). This book is the only monograph on kagamibuta, a particular type of netsuke. It is based on the study of 400 examples of the famous Baur collection in Geneva, Switzerland. Jointly published by the Heinz M. Kaempfer Fund & the Baur Collection.
Sotheby & Co. Netsuke from the Collection of Raymond and Frances Bushell.
London: Sotheby & Co., 1999. First Edition. 96 Pages. Sale held on November 18th, 1999. 341 Lots.
Bushell, R. The Inro Handbook - Studies of Netsuke, Inro and Lacquer.
New York: Weatherhill, 1979. First Edition. 136 colour illustrations, 386 black and white illustrations of signatures, bibliography, glossary, index.
Jirka-Schmitz, Partizia. The World of Netsuke The Werdelmann Collection at the Museum Kunst Palast.
Germany: Arnoldsche, 2004. First Edition. 352 pages, 22 x 29.5 cm, 683 illustrations in colour with 1070 objects, 407 signatures reproduced. Hardback with dust jacket, in a decorative slipcase. In English. Netsuke, the Japanese male belt ornaments of outstanding craftsmanship, aroused much interest in the Western world already in the late 19th century. They appeal by their variety of shapes and the sheer endless number of motifs and still continue to fascinate a wide audience; they have become coveted collectors items worldwide, as the most recent auction results emphatically show. The attraction of netsuke lies in the expressive power achieved within a small space and the masterly execution in the most varied materials, such as wood, ivory and horn. The subjects illustrate almost all aspects of Japanese culture: Buddhist figures, gods of good luck, animals, plants, fruit and flowers, literary characters, foreigners, children, masks and occupations, down to the prosaic paraphernalia of everyday life. One of the world's most comprehensive netsuke collections is the Werdelmann Collection at the museum kunst palast Dusseldorf with its almost 1100 objects, the result of more than thirty-five years of committed collecting. The exhibition presents a unique survey of this art form from the 17th to the 20th century. All 1070 objects are reproduced in brilliant colour photographs and described according to the most recent scholarly research. An extensive list of signatures with commentary rounds off the publication. Patrizia Jirka-Schmitz, an acknowledged authority on netsuke, has been responsible for the scholarly evaluation and interpretation of the collection. Highly knowledgeable about the stylistic history of netsuke and its artists and regional characteristics, she has produced an important work of reference. Ideally supplementing our successful book on the Trumpf Collection of netsuke at the Lindenmuseum in Stuttgart, the present publication is bound to prove a sought-after new reference book for collectors, connoisseurs and aficionados of netsuke.
Hutt, Julia. Japanese Netsuke.
London: V&A, 2003. First Edition. 112 pages, text in English. Full colour images throughout. A book on Netsuke, however it discusses its development, history, the materials and its carvers. There are of course examples shown, from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. A good book that will give more insight into the marvel and importance of the netsuke.
Sotheby & Co. Netsuke from the Collection of Raymond and Frances Bushell.
New York: Sotheby & Co., 2000. First Edition. 80 Pages. Sale held on March 21st 2000. 306 Lots. Prices realised list included.
Wrangham, E.A. The Index of Inro Artists.
Alnwick: Harehope Publications, 1995. First Edition. 368 pages, 2,704 entries with 2,000 signature illustrated. The result of 35 years' study by the owner of the world's most comprehensive inro collection, this volume is the first reliable guide to the Japanese artists whose signatures appear on inro. It contains 2,704 entries with more than 2,000 signature photographs gathered from public and private collections throughout the world. The text includes concise biographical details of the artists and listing of the main publications and collections where their works are to be found, as well as Japanese characters for virtually all their names, and concludes with a character index and glossary of Japanese terms.
Bushell, R. Collectors' Netsuke.
New York: Weatherhill, 1971. First Edition. 199 Pages, 354 pieces illustrated in colour, bibliography, index. In this volume Mr. Bushell speaks primarily to the experienced collector, to the connoisseur, presenting discoveries, insights, and opinions deriving from some two decades of research and finding cogent answers to some of the questions that have perplexed the netsuke world.
Davey, N.K. & Tripp, S. Netsuke. A Comprehensive Study Based on the Hindson Collection.
London: Sothebys, 1974. First Edition. 566 pp. 1322 pieces all illustrated, 182 in colour. Indexes, bibliography, price list. This publication illustrates and describes 1322 pieces from one of the most comprehensive collections ever formed. It contains 450 signature illustrations and an enlarged bibliography. A fine copy.
Jahss, B. Inro and Other Miniature Forms of Japanese Lacquer Art.
Tokyo, Rutland & Vermont: Tuttle, 1981. Second. 488 pp. 256 plates and illustrations, 76 in colour; and 59 reproductions of artists' signatures. In original slipcase. Gorgeous monograph. Every aspect of this exquisite art and its practitioners is discussed in detail."