The Hare With Amber Eyes (Enhanced Edition)
The Illustrated Edition
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4.0 • 13 Ratings
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- £13.99
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- £13.99
Publisher Description
The definitive illustrated edition of the international bestseller with gorgeous new photography of the celebrated netsuke collection, and sumptuous full-colour images hand-picked by Edmund de Waal from his family archive
264 Japanese wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox: Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in his great-uncle Iggie's Tokyo apartment. When he later inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a story far larger and more dramatic than he could ever have imagined. From a burgeoning empire in Odessa to fin de siècle Paris, from occupied Vienna to post-war Tokyo, Edmund de Waal traces the netsuke's journey through generations of his remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century.
This new enhanced ebook is bursting with extra content exclusive to this edition. There are five videos including one of Edmund de Waal discussing the netsuke collection, another of the Paris opera house much frequented by Charles Ephrussi, and a third takes a visit to the sumptuous Palais Ephrussi in Vienna. There is music from Vienna and Tokyo to listen to as you read, a new essay from the author about this illustrated edition, and the full album of Secessionist watercolours painted especially for the family. There is a very moving recording of Edmund de Waal reading the final chapter and lastly, there are the netsuke themselves. Individually animated and intimately displayed, this edition allows each netsuke comes to life, as if you were holding it in the palm of your hand.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this family history, de Waal, a potter and curator of ceramics at the Victoria Albert Museum, describes the experiences of his family, the Ephrussis, during the turmoil of the 20th century. Grain merchants in Odessa, various family members migrated to Vienna and Paris, becoming successful bankers. Secular Jews, they sought assimilation in a period of virulent anti-Semitism. In Paris, Charles Ephrussi purchased a large collection of Japanese netsuke, tiny hand-carved figures including a hare with amber eyes. The collection passed to Viktor Ephrussi in Vienna and became the family's greatest legacy. Loyal citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Vienna Ephrussis were devastated by the outcome of WWI and were later driven from their home by the imposition of Nazi rule over Austria. After WWII, they discovered that their maid, Anna, had preserved the netsuke collection, which Ignace Ephrussi inherited, and he settled in postwar Japan. Today, the netsuke reside with de Waal (descended from the family's Vienna branch) and serve as the embodiment of his family history. A somewhat rambling narrative with special appeal to art historians, this account is nonetheless rich in drama and valuable anecdote. 20 b&w illus.
