I was in the British Museum the other day (as I often am) and, as I was passing the shop in the great court, a shopping bag printed with Hokusai’s Great Wave caught my eye. It made me wonder about the perspective people get who don’t climb the stairs (or take the hidden lift) to the fifth floor to see the Japanese collection, but just come across images in the shop. So I went to see what else was on offer. And got a bit of a shock.
Hokusai’s Great Wave is possibly the most famous ukiyo-e (floating world) print there is. It belongs to the series Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji and Hokusai made it using a new chemical Berlin blue pigment, which had recently become cheaply available from China, a strong blue that doesn’t fade. It was very successful in its time (thousands were produced), and has been even more successful since. The British Museum version comes from the René Druart collection.
You’ve seen this image many times. It turns up everywhere; in advertising posters, as a tattoo, as street art on the side of a building in Camberwell. If you look on the British Museum website, it’s listed as one of their highlights, and it was chosen as one of the objects in the Radio 4 series A History of the World in a Hundred Objects.
At the British Museum shop I followed a sort of Great Wave trail that led me from a set of mugs here to a scarf there to a tie to a print to… oh wow, an entire wall of Hokusai Great Wave souvenirs! Enough to rival the Egyptian mummies, that enduring image of the British Museum.
There were mugs and bags, umbrellas, aprons, nail files, tea towels, notebooks, tumblers, bookmarks, watches.
As I photographed the display, a visitor came up to me and asked me the key question: Where could he see the actual Great Wave? I had to admit, he couldn’t. It’s not on display. It hasn’t been on display for the last two years and there aren’t any plans to show it.
I can understand. Prints are delicate things and you can’t just hang them on the wall year after year and expect them to survive intact, even in museum conditions. But it’s a disappointment, all the same. The number of souvenirs on sale whets your appetite for the real thing, but the Museum doesn’t deliver it.
Of course, it’s possible that most visitors don’t notice that. They’re happy to get a copy of one of the most famous images in the world and move on to their next stop.
But, just for you, here’s a reminder of the real thing. The towering wave, the threatened boat, the zinging shade of blue. And, in the centre, the serene glory of Mount Fuji. Iconic. And very famous.
Hi Fran,
‘Where is the ‘Great Wave’?’ is the question we volunteer guides at the BM most often get from people who make it to the fifth floor, so I think you might be onto something re: not delivering the goods, as such!
Must admit I had never seen the ‘Great Wave’ plate before. Maybe my eyes have grown immune to it? The other week I also saw a tweet mentioning that the Museum makes as much money from ‘Rosetta Stone’ souvenirs as it does from all its catering services, so I do wonder where exactly Hokusai fits into the equation?
y.
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It would be fascinating to know how much he brings in!
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We are ever more descending into virtual reality – been there, got the T-shirt….
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Quite literally, in this case! 🙂
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I would love to have that tie : )
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I quite fancy the umbrella. 🙂
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Hah! An interesting point of view. But like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers however many fridge magnets and other fakes you see you can still be bowled over by the real deal.
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That’s very true.
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I suspect that for many people a souvenir is enough, judging by the time they spend at famous landmarks taking selfies of themselves and their friends rather than really looking at the thing they have come to see.
But interesting that the BM doesn’t have the print on display any more: a case of not managing expectations very well?
Having said that, the umbrella does have a pleasing symmetry. 😉
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Yes, the umbrella is very attractive – almost makes up for the lack of the real thing! 🙂
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Love the umbrella and quite a number of the other items. Lovely to see them all in one post!
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Yes, everyone seems to like the umbrella! I really must get one.
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