Hare with Amber Eyes, The ~ Edmund de Waal ~ February Book Club Online

[Frybabe]

   The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  Everyone is welcome.

the HARE with AMBER EYES
A FAMILY'S CENTURY OF ART AND LOSS
by EDMUND de WAAL

"In The Hare with Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal unfolds the story of a remarkable family and a tumultuous century. Sweeping yet intimate, it is a highly original meditation on art, history, and family, as elegant and precise as the netsuke themselves.When the Nazis took over Vienna, the family's loyal maid Anna simply hid these miniature works of art in her mattress, some 264 pieces depicting turtles and tigers and rats, a boy with a helmet and samurai sword, a naked woman and an octopus, a hare with amber eyes. Edmund de Waal eventually inherited the collection, and it serves to link the various parts of his story as he traces how the netsuke pass from one family member to the next."  Edmund de Waal click to enlarge

                                                                                                                       

Discussion Schedule: Feb. 1-3         Prologue Feb. 4-8    Part One ~ Paris ~ 1871-1899 Feb. 9-13       Part Two ~ Vienna ~ 1899-1938 Feb. 14-18    Part Three ~ Vienna ~ 1938-1947 Feb. 19-23    Part Four ~ Tokyo ~ 1947-2001 Feb. 24-28   Coda ~ Tokyo, Odessa, London ~ 2009

For Your Consideration
February 4-8
Part One ~ Paris ~ 1871-1899

1. Le West End
Why did the author begin his search of the netsuke collection in Paris?   Did Baron Haussman's new Paris make it possible for the Ephrussis to build on la rue Monceau in Le West End?  What impressed you about the Ephrussi family home de Waal describes?

2.Un Lit de Parade
What were de Waal's first impressions of the first owner of the netsuke collection he's inherited? Does Charles seem to you to be a typical third child, especially one who is too rich for his own good?  Are you keeping track of the number of times De Waal uses "gold" in these chapters?   How does Charles redeem himself in de Waal's eyes?

3. A Mahout to Guide Her
Why  does the writer, Edouard Goncourt attack our 'charming boy,' Princesse Mathilde's 'mahout'  as he guides her through the art world?  Is it jealousy because of his success, or is something else fueling his constant attacks?

4. So Light, So Soft to the Touch
What strikes you first about Charles new (first?) love, as they discover Japanese art together?  What is the difference between their Renaissance Art collections  and the new pieces they begin to acquire?  Can the netsuke be far off now?

5. A Box of Children's Sweets
Do you find Sichel's purchase of  those charming lacquer writing boxes for $1 each,  located in 'Japan's treasure trove of art objects,' a steal? Do you agree with de Waal 'that greed plundered this country'?  What did you think of  the netsuke the poor would sell for the asking?  Does de Waal consider his netsuke collection 'plundered objects'?

6. A Fox with Inlaid Eyes
Here they are, at last - a whole collection!  Charles buys 264 netsukes - in a vitrine.  What had Charles misunderstood about vitrines?  Do you remember the vitrine he bought with the collection?  Was it the same one de Waal first saw in Uncle Iggy's home in Japan?

7. The Yellow Arm Chair
Jules Laforgue provides an intimate image of the 'flaneurial' (?)  Charles in his study, the yellow armchair and his fantastic art collection.  Do you see any of your favorites on the wall?

8. Monsieur Elstir's Asparagus
 Do you feel you are getting to know Charles and his artistic taste?  Do you see similarities between Durer's sketches and the Impressionsit paintings he chooses, such as Manet's small  still life of a bunch of asparagus?  What does the artwork in his collection have in common with the netsuke collection?

9. Even Ephrussi Fell for it
Why did the fact that Charles had begun to buy some of Moreau's watercolors make his Jewishness suspect?  How did the subjects of Moreau's work differ from the Impressionists Charles had been collecting?  What worries de Waal about Moreau - and gold?

10. My Small Profits
"The Ephrussi are simultaneously loathed as upstarts and feted as patrons." Does this describe Charles' position in Parisian society now? Why is French anti-semitism growing at this time with "growing fissures" within Parisian Society?

11. A 'Very Brilliant Five O'Clock'
 What will become of the out-of-place netsuke collection? in Charles' new home decorated in Empire style? Storage?
Does it seem that Paris either believes or doesn't believe that Dreyfus is innocent?  Proust's character, Charles Swainn closely resembles Charles Effrussi, both Jewish men of the world, both Dreyfusards.  What will become of Charles in Parisian society?

DIscussion Leaders: JoanP & Marcie

Reminds me of what we just finished reading in Travels with Herodotus of Herodotus' thoughts and reasons for writing his Histories: How things get forgotten, things are remembered differently by different people, how stories are changed in the telling and passing on. So here is de Waal coming up against the same problem of remembering and forgetting and getting lost to history within his own family.

[JoanK]

"When we reminesced (sp?), it was amazing how each of remembered the same event in different ways."

PatH and I find that all the time. Isn't it strange.

The family tree on the kindle is goiong to be a problem. Hard to read, and when enlarged goes off the screen. I hope it isn't going to be important to keep people straight.

The day caught up with me, annd I'm not finished the prologue. But I'm glad he started in Japan, and his studies are interesting. Studying the Japanese character writing system, with a separate character for each word, is very difficult. I remember my niece, who studied Japanese in college and did a semester studying in Kyoto, saying in frustration "I studied Japanese for years, and I can't even read the ads on the trains!"

I believe they have also adopted an alphabetinc system. maybe PatH knows.

[Frybabe]

1. de Waal was about 27 when he received the Daiwa Foundation Scholarship which exists to foster relationships between Japan and the UK. Here is their website.

http://www.dajf.org.uk/

7. No. Now that I am older, I wish we did. All my sisters and I have are lots of old photos, some don't say who the people are. Uncle Lou traced one part of the family tree and gave us copies. That's it. George's Mom, on the other hand was their family historian and archivist. When she passed, he gave all her materials to a cousin to organize, index and produce a DVD record in addition to the papers and photos.

[JoanP]

Thank you for those links, Fry!  I had been wondering about that scholarship. The link clears that up - especially if you follow it to the application process.  It's clear that Edmund de Waal earned the scholarship based on his porcelain work and his interest in Japanese potters.
His past was prologue.  There was another link within that link with comments from previous scholars. You might find it interesting: http://www.dajf.org.uk/scholarships/scholars-experiences

Ooh, I want to be like George's mother. I am now the family matriarch- everyone sends me boxes  of photos, documents...I need to get organized!

[JoanP]

Hopefully. We'll get a decent family tree into the heading soon, JoanK -  preferably the one annotated by de Waal's grandma...

How about we extend the time spent on the Prologue another day  so those who don't have the book yet don't get too far behind?  There's a lot to talk about in that prologue...

[Frybabe]

Thanks for the link to the previous scholars. One of them, Dr. Anne Gilbert, is working with the Kiva which has been mentioned in one of the other discussion groups.

[Babi]

 Most of the de Wall pottery is surprisingly plain and unadorned, isn't it, FRYBABE?
The shapes are pure and strong, tho'.  I found another site, and in paging down I
found a few surprising departures from his customary style. Take a look...
http://www.edmunddewaal.com/

 What makes this so interesting, I believe, is that de Waal isn't simply tracing the
collection of netsuke,...he's giving us the background, color and mood of the times
through 3-4 generations as well.

 Since the pottery industry was an important one in Japan, both in income and artistry,
I think it logical that they would choose a dedicated potter as one of their prize
recipients. The whole idea of the project, as I understand it, was to establish links
with intelligent and talented prospects who would be able to speak Japanese
and strengthen Japanese-Anglo relationships.

 (side bar: JOANK, I don't know why, but all the text is smaller on  this site this morning. 
I tried enlarging the text, but saw no difference.  I'll check with my daughter, but I know I didn't
make any such text changes.)

[Frybabe]

Most of the displays are little over much in the sameness department for me, but I did like his porcelains, and the white on white mugs and cups with the raised designs. I also, noted a very interesting way to display some of the pottery - cases embedded in the floor, very clever. 

[JoanP]

I imagine the plain and simple lines were due to the Japanese influence as a very young man, Babi - I'd forgotten he'd studied ceramics before he went to university to study English literature.

Fry, as I read more about his porcelains, I am hearing the author talk about the weight of the pots.  That's something I never considered.  I do have a favorite cake platter, passed down from an aunt.  This is so thin and so light, I always notice that aspect, when I pick it up.  Did I tell you that we're on a short vacation right now?  When I get home, I'll take a picture of it...and also see if I can post an Ephrussi family tree in the heading.

I'm interested in learning more about Uncle Iggy - and what brought him to Japan.  I imagine we'll learn more about him - though Edmund knows his story before he begins the netsuke quest. He even knows about the netsuke collection.  Do  you see Uncle Iggy on the family tree in your book?  And young Edmund's relationship to him?

[PatH]

Thanks for the link to de Waal's pottery, Frybabe.  It's frustrating, though. I think his work must have to be seen in 3 dimensions.  I kept wanting to see them up closer, or from a different angle.  With the arrays of white cylinders, all just a little irregular and all different, I wanted to move around them, compare their irregularities, see how they changed from different sides.  He's very understated; he quotes his teacher, Bernard Leach: "be careful of the unwarranted gesture: less is more".

[JoanK]

" I am hearing the author talk about the weight of the pots." I was buying a hand thrown mug once, and the potter told me in buying a cup, to always test its weight by balancing it with a finger through the handle. If it feels heavy, it wont be comfortable to drink from.

[PatH]

I wish the book had pictures of the netsuke.  I want to see what he's talking about.  A quick search turned up this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/gallery/2010/jun/25/edmund-de-waal-netsuke-hare

There are thumbnails of seven of them, and you get a bigger picture of whichever one you click on.  One of them is the medlar he talks about.  My computer dictionary defines medlar as

a small, bushy tree of the rose family that bears small, brown, applelike fruits. • Mespilus germanica, family Rosaceae.
• the fruit of this tree, which is edible only after it has begun to decay.

Now I know why it's important that the fruit is so ripe, but I don't know why he can see this in the carving, especially that it is riper on one side.  Maybe if I had ever seen a medlar I would know.

[JoanK]

I have to admit to not having much reaction to his pottery. Except the one where you couuldn't quite see the pots through the cloudy doors. That made me want to spend time imagining things.

[marcie]

I just made it before closing time at my library and got the book! Based on all of your interesting comments, I look forward to reading the prologue tonight!

[PatH]

You'll enjoy it, marcie.  It's graciously written, and very rich in details worth commenting on.  I don't know if he can keep up the pace, but he's off to a good start.

[marcie]

Pat, the prologue is graciously written. That's a wonderful adjective for his writing. His intent seems to be to make the netsuke very accessible. I feel he wants to hand them on to us, the readers, in a careful and respectful way. I like the way he introduces things in a somewhat roundabout way. It all seems very natural and easy but very artful. One thing leads to another. It's not a linear progression. It's more like a moebius strip where you can reach a destination from various points ( I may be influenced by the moebius strip analogy in There and Back Again by Pat Murphy which I'm also reading.  )

I am interested in his ideas about objects and whether they invite touching or picking up or admiring from a distance. Also his idea that "How objects are handed on is all about story-telling" and what the story means. One random thought I had about the netsuke's accessibility is that he carried one in his pocket. I think of them as a valuable collection and he says "Carry is not the right word for having a netsuke in a pocket. It sounds too purposeful. A netsuke is so light and so small that it migrates and almost disappears amongst your keys and change." He's got the netsuke in a pocket with keys and change!

[waafer]

I found I had to go back and make some notes as I did not have a copy of the family tree as my copy is on kindle.  It was surprising to read that the collection(all 264) were bought in Paris 1870 by a cousin of Waal,s G Grandfather 1870.  We do not know who actually made this collection.  I am looking forward to seeing the family tree if it becomes available on this site.  I am not sure how that relationship works out.  They are well travelled netsuke before they get to where they are now--London.  Waafer

[kidsal]

A family archive?  Yes, my grandmother's small incense burner.  She lived in a small apartment and I can still smell the aroma of the incense she burned. 

[JoanP]

The hardest part about the end of a vacation is coming home - unpacking, laundry, mail...a million things demanding immediate attention!  I've a notice that my illustrated edition of Hare/Amber is available for pick up at the Library.  Will attempt to scan the Ephrussi family tree this afternoon and bring it here.  It is fascinating - really want to share it with those of you who don't have one to refer to.  We can save it in the heading for quick reference.

Kidsal...would love to hear about your grandmother and her incense burner.  On what occasions did she use it?  Do you have it now, was it passed down to you?  Do you know where it came from - had it been in her family?

"We do not know who actually made this (netsuke) collection." waafer
I was surprised to read that most of the netsuke were signed and dated.  Surprised because these little pieces of wood and ivory were so small - the hare measures only one inch!  Surprised because de Waal is carrying them around in his pocket, mingled with his keys and change, as Marcie pointed out.  The author talks about how important it is to "touch" these items, to hold them  but wouldn't you think  the inscriptions would rub off after a few days in his pocket like this?  Wouldn't the inscriptions be important to the value of the pieces?

[Frybabe]

I was wondering what his collection looks like. Some of them are on his website; I missed them yesterday. Family archive of photos. Reading guide is also on website, but not this page.

http://www.edmunddewaal.com/writing/the-hare-with-amber-eyes/gallery-3/netsuke/

[JoanP]

Thinking about the value of the netsuke collection - I'm wondering how de Waal's pots are priced these days if you wanted to buy one.  Every site I visited says you have to contact the galleries for prices.  Do you think it's a matter of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it?"  

"I have to admit to not having much reaction to his pottery."

 JoanK

"With the arrays of white cylinders, all just a little irregular and all different, I wanted to move around them, compare their irregularities, see how they changed from different sides."

PatH

 I've noticed within the link Fry brought us - clicking  the "Making link"  - http://www.edmunddewaal.com/making/  the photos are nearly all appear in groups, "arrays of white cylinders."  Maybe you have to have more than one to fully appreciate their relationship one to the other?  Would one little hare netsuke be worth near as much as the collection as a whole - even though the collection must have been put together from various sources at one time or another.  These little pieces of art were probably bought for a song from the individuals who carved them.

Thanks for the information on the medlar, Pat and for identifying the medlar netsuke - this must have been a favorite of the author - he placed it before the Prologue in the illustrated copy of his book.

[Babi]

 I thoroughly enjoyed the netsuke, PAT. I would like to see a great many more of them.
It is curious that the description says you can feel the ripeness of the medlar in
the netsuke. How would the sculptor accomplish that?
  I agree, MARCIE. "graciously written" is a perfect description of the writing style.
 I was worried about the netsuke getting scratched by keys and such. Can pottery be
readily scratched?

  Of the pottery, I found the blue on white pottery bench(?) surrounding a tree very
lovely. It must have been a special project.

Oh, thank you, FRYBABE! That site is exactly what I've been wanting to see. Aren't
they lovely! I imagine now that all tradesmen, craftsmen, etc., would want a netsuke
that featured their business or craft. For some reason, the one that most caught my
eye, that I would love to have, is the faggot of pinewood logs. They are so realistic
and the colors are beautiful.
  How about the rest of you? Is there one that really grabs you; that you would love
to own?

[Frybabe]

I wanted to see if I could find a little more information about Charles, who figures large in the next section. Wikipedia has a lovely sketch of him. But this article, not directly about Charles, got my attention.
http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/objects-and-memories-edmund-de-waal-on-tracing-a-family-collection/

Here is a wordpress review of the book which has some very nice photos, including a sketch of Charles Ephrussi and the Grand Salon of the Musee Nissim de Camondo. Just scroll down below the family pix. If you don't like spoilers, it might be best to just look at the pix and don't read the text. http://robertarood.wordpress.com/2010/10/

If the book that Charles wrote about Albert Durer is translated into English, I haven't found it. Darn. If you read French, Open Library has it.

Babi, the bundle of sticks is my favorite, too.

[marcie]

Thanks, Frybabe, for the link to the photos of some of the netsuke. I agree that the wood looks very realistic. I think I like the hare with the amber eyes best. I love the smooth, rounded body and the detail of one foot in the air. I like the medlar netsuke too.

JoanP, There is an article at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ed7eb9bc-6919-11df-aa7e-00144feab49a.html#axzz2JrbjmIzT that indicates that Waal receives from £2,500 to £50,000 ($3,929.75 to $78,595) for his porcelains.

The article indicates that his groupings of the pots are part of the art installation. He positions them precisely knowing that at some point they might be moved.

This new sense of fragility extends to entire collections. “Even collections you think of as being intact, codified and curated, safe and secure, end up broken up, looted, given away, smuggled out, chipped, put up for sale. And my kind of fugitive groupings of objects which seem briefly authoritative, I have no doubt they will be displaced, dispersed, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have this moment of trying to bring them into lyrical existence, knowing that the lyric might be a short lyric.” "

[BarbStAubrey]

Frybabe fabulous sites you have found - not sure which is more glorious - the blog Books To the Ceiling has so many wonderful links - the people this family knew is amazing - has anyone here during their travels ever visited the Waddesdon Manor? I did visit the musée Nissim de Camondo over 30 years ago but I was so overwhelmed with seeing so much art in Paris I did not do the visit justice.

deWaal's pottery is extraordinary - to find so many nuances within a simple shape - unbelievable - and the displays take your breath away - the one photo of the pots on a window beam looking at the window at some houses make the pots look all the world like chimney pots which make you start looking at how the pot shape is all around us that we take for granted.

[PatH]

I could look at those netsuke for a long time.  There's lots to say about them too.  In the guardian site (the one with seven pictures) he says of rats "the point is where you put the tail.  The tail is the most important bit because it's tucked away so only your fingers can find it.  That's not true of the rat in that picture, but look at the first rat in the de Waal website, the one on the coil of rope.  His tail is neatly coiled inside the rope, lying against a strand.

We see another view of the title hare, and there is another hare, leaning against a cake representing the moon.  They are both lunar hares.  In Japan there isn't a man in the moon, it's a rabbit, pounding the rice for a kind of rice cake.

We see the cooper making his barrel, with the craftsman's concentration that so impressed de Waal.

I'd hate to have to pick a favorite, but if you offered me one, I'd manage.

[PatH]

Some of the netsuke on the de Waal website must have been added to the collection, either by Iggy or de Waal, since they are dated in the 1900s.  I hope we find out about them too.

[JoanK]

Following one of Fry's links, I found this link which shows netsuke from another collection (in the Toledo museum). It has a picture of someone wearing a netsuke, so you can see how they were used. "Gentlemen" had collections of them, as they might collect cuff links or tie clips today.

To get it, click on Fry's link below, scroll down to the video of de Waal, click near the end. When it ends, you get a choice of further videos. Pick the second from left in the bottom row -- it has a picture of a netsuke, and when you move to it, it says "life in miniature".

http://robertarood.wordpress.com/2010/10/

[salan]

Joan, what  a great website!!  It was interesting to note that they are still being made.  I was surprised to find that netsuke is pronounced "nets-kay" or "net-skay".  In my mind, I was pronouncing it net-su'-key.  I have become fascinated by these little figures.  It would be hard to chose my favorite, although, I like the woman bathing in the tub.....and was surprised that it was called erotic!
Sally

[Frybabe]

This could go on forever. After the Toledo video, there is a link to a video of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothchild at the top right. I was able to find it on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvu5xAfUeyw

Maurice Ephrussi was married to married Beatrice de Rothchild, who commissioned the villa. He does not show up on the family tree, but he was a son of Charles Joachim Ephrussi and Henriette Halperson. Maurice and his older brother Michel were the uncles that opened the Paris branch of the family business. He died about four years after the completion of the villa. There is no narrative to the video, but the musical accompaniment is wonderful. Beautiful setting, wall tapestries, cases and cases of porcelains, figurines and the like, wall murals, and so on. So romantic.

[BarbStAubrey]

Help help a link please to the Toledo site where you see the movie - I went back to the blog where the long article was located amid photos of family and babies and hit all the links provided in that wonderful article but nothing to the Toledo museum so I Googled it and put in my search netsuke and the link was to the part of the museum with lots of netsuke stuff but no video - here is all I could find from the site

http://www.netsuke.org/

http://www.internetsuke.com/

http://www.toledomuseum.org/learn/reference-library/%C2%B7norman-l-sandfield-library/

http://www.netsuke.com/

http://www.asianartmall.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=TNS&Affiliate=google&gclid=CKHUnIa4m7UCFVSTPAoday8AMA

[BarbStAubrey]

Oh dear crawling around the Internet I linked shunga netsuke - don't unless you like erotica

[marcie]

Here is a link to the Villa Rothchild

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=CnAKQZHCWgQ

Thanks, Frybabe.

[Frybabe]

Oh, Marcie, to be a gardener there. Gorgeous gardens, gorgeous exterior. There was a brief shot of Japanese influence on one of the garden paths.

Barb, here is the Toledo netsuke collection video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6demGQkQZE

I am well into Part I. The artists and writers/poets that Charles rubbed elbows with is awesome. And, as you can see from some of the photos, so was the wealth. I wonder if there is a list somewhere cataloging the Ephrussi items that made it to museums. I wonder about the ones that disappeared during the war(s) and what was destroyed.

[JoanP]

Breathtaking, isn't it, Fry?  Not only rubbing elbows, but buying so much of it!  At one point de Waal considered doing just what you talk about - visiting the museums that house his artwork today.  I'll bet he could provide you with such a catalogue!

 - We'll be spending the whole of  Part One with Charles, but I'll bet there are some great stories in brother Ignace's background, as well.  Not a word about the sister, Betty and half sisters.  
It's a good thing for de Waal that Charles was a writer, an editor...and that he  had such great and frequent press coverage. It made his task that much easier.  

I was able to get to the Library yesterday and pick up the illustrated copy of the book.  Though I tried to scan the family tree, it was difficult because of the size of the book.  One half could not lie flat.  

See if this gives you an idea of the family relationships.  Someone mentioned Michel and Maurice yesterday.  They are on the tree you probably have in your book - on the left side.  You can see that Charles Joaquim Ephrussi was married twice.  Two sons with first wife, Leon and Ignace.  (Leon was our nets-kay (thanks, Sally) Charles'  father)
Michel was the son of the second wife, which makes him netsuke Charles half brother.  Maurice was his son.

See if you can read this tree - if it helps understand the relationships.  Uncle Iggy and Edmund de Waal appear on the right side - as they descended from #2 son - Ignace.

link to Ephrussi family tree

I can see a little magnifying glass that helps - do you see it?  If this helps you, I can put it in the heading fpr future reference...
Do you notice that Charles and brother Ignace never married?  Too bad for de Waal - that would have been another source of information for the author to chase down...

[JoanP]

The Ephrussi family tree goes back to Odessa...which I just learned was the fourth largest city of Imperial Russia in the 19th century, after Moscow
Just looking at the "Ephrussi" name, I'm wondering if it might mean "out of" or "from Russia.  But then, what was their name before they left Russia?

At the time of the Ephrussis' arrival in France, Paris was undergoing great change under the direction of Baron Haussmann...  As beautiful as Paris is, I cringe whenever I read about how the medieval streets were razed to make way for the new...

Old Paris is gone (no human heart
 changes half so fast as a city's face)…
 There used to be a poultry market here,
 and one cold morning… I saw
 
a swan that had broken out of its cage,
 webbed feet clumsy on the cobblestones,
 white feathers dragging through uneven ruts,
 and obstinately pecking at the drains…
 
Paris changes . . . but in sadness like mine
 nothing stirs—new buildings, old
 neighbourhoods turn to allegory,
 and memories weigh more than stone.

[Babi]

 How fascinating to find that Charles was the model for Charles Swann. And now we even
have a picture of him in a Renoir!  Well, sort of. We can tell he was tall and lean and
had a small chin beard. (I checked the link in the article for Titian's 'golden woman', but
didn't find it.) This link is a real find, FRYBABE. I was also pleased to see that you
liked my favorite netsuke as well.

I'd hate to have to pick a favorite, but if you offered me one, I'd manage.

PatH 
Oh, yeah, PAT!

 I think we were all mentally pronouncing it that way, SALLY. I know I was. 'Nets-kay', huh?
How did that 'k' sound get in there?  I didn't see the servant in the bath as erotic,  either, but it just
goes to show how tastes change.

   I love the little contrasts.  I'm admiring the splendid old building,  and de Waal points out it's now an insurance company and a mundane pizza delivery is taking place. We look at huge,  splendid houses,  and are taken back to the days when it was all an unfinished , noisy building site.  We learn about the Jewish migrants from all over the world who come to build and settle there,  and something about them.  Whole families, building homes next  to one another.  Financiers, bankers,  artists, even chocolatiers.  The Rockefellers had a branch there, and I was astonished to learn that de Waal's family,  the Ephrussi's,  were their rivals in wealth and power.
 

[Frybabe]

Oh, right, JoanP. Henriette's side is represented. It just got put at the bottom. I missed it. Maurice and Michel were brothers. Michel was born in 1945 and Maurice in 1949.

I like your question about the family name history. Wikipedia has a quick explanation that it is a variant of  
Ephrati http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrussi_family and a list of other prominent family members.

[Olle]

Late, and like the slow reader I am, i must say that the Preface got me like a smooth caress from the past.
My first reaction was, you must read this book very slowly and let the words pour into - not only your heart, but into your brain and whole body. And it'll help you to endure and see all the beauties that sourrounds you.
I have never really been taken in by miniatures, but those "buckles" for elegant Japanese women's kimonos are so refined though they serves a common task. It's real craftsmanship.
My main reason to read this book, was the chance of getting to know better the history of Europe during "the belle Epoque" from pre-revolution days, through two devastating wars till now.
A question to you all. Why is the title sometimes The Hare with Amber eyes and sometimes Auburn eyes?

[Frybabe]

When you get to it, here are some of the mentioned artworks:


p78. The Bathers at Grenuillere http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-oscar-monet-bathers-at-la-grenouillere

p79. Viscount Lepic and His Daughters:\Place de la Concorde http://19thcenturyart-facos.com/artwork/viscount-lepic-and-his-daughters-crossing-place-de-la-concorde

p80. Luncheon of the Boating Party. http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/boating-party/index.aspx
Enlarge it and see if you can pick out the people he mentions. De Waal is bringing this painting, especially, alive for me. These were not just models or made up faces, they were Renoir's friends, people he hung out with, shared with.

I tried to find Two Women at the Haberdashers, 1880, (p74) but was unable to locate anything.

Two painters I never heard of:
Berthe Morisot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthe_Morisot
Alfed Sisley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sisley
The others mentioned on p74, I am familiar with but, so far, I haven't seen mention of which of their paintings Charles bought. I'd be especially interested in knowing which Mary Cassatt painting(s) caught his eye.